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SAN  FRANCI5CO  5TATL  NORMAL  SCHOOL 

BULLETIN  No.  5  (New  Series) 


AN  ELEMENTARY  COURSE 
OF  STUDY  IN  LITERATURE 
FOR  GRAMMAR  GRADES 


By  ALLISON  WARL 

Supervisor  of  the  Teaching  of  Literature,  San  Francisco 
State  Normal  School 


SACRAMENTO 

W.  W.  SHANNON Superintendent  of  State  Printing 

1908 


Copyright,  1908 

By 
Allison  Ware 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


LITERATURE  IN  THE  GRAMMAR  SCHOOLS 5-26 

The  Content  of  Our  Present  Literature  Courses 5-6 

Prevailing   Methods 6.7 

Alleged  Results  of  Our  Literature  Work 7-8 

Results  as  Shown  by  Testing  Our  Graduates 8-9 

The  Real  Ends  of  School  Literature 10-12 

Sound  and  Unsound  Content 12-16 

Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  Papers,  a  Typically  Bad  Case 12-13 

The  Dangers  of  the  "Type  Method"  in  Literature 14-15 

Some  Methods  to  be  Avoided 16 

Form  Analysis  :  the  Bane  of  Present  Methods 16-18 

The  Influence  of  the  Latin  Tradition  on  Methods 18-19 

The  Influence  of  Scholarship  on  Methods 19 

Some  Fictions  of  Pedagogy 19-20 

The  Influence  of  Book  Making  on  Content  and  Method 20 

Appreciation,  the  Aim  of  Sound  Method 21 

The  Teacher  as  Story-Teller 21-22 

The  Teacher  as  Interpreter 22-23 

Class  Activity  in  Literature 23-24 

Memory    Work    in    Literature 24 

Literary  Knowledge  and  the  Cumulative  Review 24-25 

Which  Shall  It  Be? 25-26 

HORATIUS  AT  THE  BRIDGE 27-34 

RIP  VAN  WINKLE 35-41 

THE   SONG  OF  HIAWATHA 42-58 

EVANGELINE : . . .  59-64 

IVANHOE 65-74 

SNOW-BOUND    ' • 75-84 

MAN  WITHOUT  A  COUNTRY 85-91 

ENOCH  ARDEN 92-99 

GOOD  READING  HABITS 100-103 


174435 


I 


■        OF  THE 

\/ERSITY 

OF 


AN  LLLMLNTARY  COUR5L  OF  5TUDY. 


LITERATURE  IN  THE  GRAMMAR  SCHOOL. 


In  comparison  with  arithmetic,  grammar,  language  work,  and  other  sub- 
jects, the  grammar  grade  literature  course  has  received  but  scanty  construct- 
ive attention  in  the  last  few  years.  Many  subjects  have  been,  at  least 
partially,  clarified  as  to  their  purposes,  content,  and  method;  but  this  has 
been  allowed  to  remain  tangled  and  obscure.  This  is  not  fair  to  the  sub- 
ject ;  nor  is  it  fair  to  the  school-supporting  public  whose  faith  in  the  efficacy 
of  teacherdom  should  move  all  teachers  to  the  most  earnest  scrutiny  in 
forming  courses  of  study.  Worst  of  all,  it  is  not  fair  to  the  boys  and  girls. 
To  their  development  our  schools  must  minister.  Their  welfare  demands  the 
most  scrupulous  care  in  the  selection  of  what  our  schools  should  teach.  And 
if  all  this  were  not  ground  for  a  careful  overhauling  of  the  course  in  litera- 
ture, a  new  portent  appears  to  stimulate  the  undertaking :  there  is  a  strong 
and  growing  discontent  with  our  school  work  in  literature.  To  what  end  is 
it  designed!  On  what  rational  basis  is  its  system  of  method  founded? 
Why  do  we  find  in  this  latter  day  that  many  of  our  boys,— school  boys,— 
hate  to  read  and  our  girls  become  perverts  in  reading?  Why  are  the  great 
poems  and  stories  of  the  race  less  well  known  by  school  graduates  than  they 
were  fifty  years  ago?  Why  is  the  appreciation  of  poetry  becoming  a  cult 
for  a  caste  rather  than  a  joyful  experience  for  all?  These  questions  in 
various  forms  may  no  longer  be  denied,— if  for  no  better  reason  than 
because  of  their  importunity. 

It  is  a  fair  and  pertinent  business,  therefore,  to  pause  for  a  moment  in 
the  making  of  courses  of  study  in  literature  and  to  examine  the  state  of 
that  subject  as  it  now  reveals  itself  in  our  schools. 

TRADITIONAL  CONTENT  OF  THE  LITERATURE  COURSE. 

At  the  present  time,  literature  under  that  name  is  generally  found  in  the 
seventh  and  eighth  grades.  During  these  years  certain  poems  and  prose 
selections  are  introduced  with  an  object  apparently  different  from  that 
pursued  in  framing  the  reading  course  of  the  lower  grades.  Among  the 
selections  commonly  found  in  the  work  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades 
are  the  following :  Evangeline,  Miles  Standisli,  Hiawatha,  The  Merchant  of 
Venice,  Ivanhoe,  Snow-hound,  Bip  Van   Winkle,  The  Legend  of  Sleepy 

(5) 


Hollow,  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,  Julius  Caesar,  The  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal, 
Eohin  Hood,  Enoch  Arden,  The  Christmas  Carol,  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley, 
Tales  from  Shakespeare,  The  Man  Without  a  Country,  Silas  Marner, 
The  Great  Stone  Face,  Translations  of  the  Iliad  and  Odyssey,  and  The 
Alhamhra. 

One  of  these  per  half  year  is  the  usual  arrangement.  Many  a  course  in 
literature  is,  therefore,  based  upon  four  of  such  longer  masterpieces,  some- 
times with  shorter  selections  for  cursory  treatment  sandwiched  in. 

Not  one  of  a  score  of  courses  of  study  examined  by  the  writer  in  connec- 
tion with  this  work  contains  one  fourth  as  many  long  selections  as  have  been 
named.  Why  this  is  so  will  be  seen  from  an  examination  of  the  methods 
and  aims  employed  in  teaching  the  subject,  and  the  effects  it  produces  may 
be  determined  by  an  inspection  of  the  products  of  our  schools. 

TRADITIONAL    METHOD:     THE    STUDY    OF    THE    AUTHOR ^S    IJFE. 

The  methods  generally  in  use  are  based  on  what  has  been  called  the 
principle  of  ''intensive  study."  A  composite  sketch  of  the  procedure 
seems  to  be  something  like  this:  First,  the  life  of  the  author  is  studied. 
This  is  regularly  done  as  a  sort  of  sacrifice  to  the  shades  of  the  writer,  and 
shows  little  or  no  discrimination  in  method,  or  thought  as  to  educational 
results.  Generally  the  author's  life  is  a  string  of  barren  details  poorly  put 
together  in  the  introduction  or  the  notes  of  the  text,  or  served  cold  from 
some  biographical  dictionary.  In  such  case  the  child  learns  when  the 
author  was  born,  whether  his  father  was  a  preacher  or  not,  whence  he 
inherited  his  artistic  temperament,  how  old  he  was  when  he  wrote  his  first 
poem,  what  a  certain  Great  Man  once  said  to  him  when  he  was  a  little  boy,  or 
what  he  as  a  Great  Man  once  said  to  some  little  boy,  whether  when  he  was 
in  school  he  liked  arithmetic  or  not,  how  at  one  time  he  was  editor  of  this 
or  that  long-since  defunct  magazine,  and  how  at  last  he  was  decently 
shelved  at  some  university  or  in  the  United  States  diplomatic  service,  or, 
horrible  warning,  drank  himself  to  death.  There  is  no  attempt  to  make 
a  story  out  of  the  stuff  thus  presented.  Indeed,  nine  times  out  of  ten  it  is 
not  fit  to  make  a  story.  It  does  not,  and  its  very  nature  can  not,  thrill  or 
delight  or  exalt  or  stimulate  the  hearts  of  the  hearers.  No  emotional  excita- 
tion accompanies  its  daily  two-page  dole.  Nor,  on  the  other  hand,  are  the 
biographical  facts  presented  in  themselves  worth  remembering.  Here  and 
there  may  be  some  scrap  of  knowledge  about  some  writer  that  the  child 
might  actually  meet  and  use  in  life.  But  that  goes  into  the  hash  with  the 
rest,  and  is  with  the  rest  first  loathed  and  then  forgotten*.  The  amount  of 
biographical  trash  that  is  served  up  to  children  in  the  grammar  and  high 
schools  under  the  head  of  literature  is  only  conceivable  to  one  who  remem- 
bers what  an  amount  of  it  he  has  forgotten.  The  best  thing  that  can  be 
said  of  it  is  that  one  recovers  rapidly  from  it. 


(6) 


A    STUDY    OF    LANGUAGE   FORMS    AND    MORAL   PLATITUDES. 

After  the  author  has  been  propitiated,  the  masterpiece  is  taken  up  and 
the  intensive  work  is  on  in  earnest.  In  the  first  place,  the  children  have 
the  selection  as  a  reading  lesson.  This  is  the  first  principle  of  method  to 
appeal  to  the  teacher  because  the  work  is  made  an  unmarked  or  at  best  but 
vaguely  set  off  continuation  of  the  formal  work  in  reading.  Besides,  tradi- 
tion has  sanctioned  the  method  and  it  is  easy  to  apply  it- 

Composition  then  claims  its  share  of  the  spoils.  One  passage  must  be 
paraphrased;  another  is  to  be  condensed;  a  certain  description  is  to  be 
reproduced.  Next,  if  it  be  poetry,  the  versification  is  attacked,  the  rhyme 
and  meter  classified,  analyzed,  and  dwelled  upon.  Odd  and  misshapen 
sentences  are  selected  for  grammar  exercises  and  diagramming.  Hard 
words  are  threshed  out,  derivations  are  determined,  allusions  are  chased 
to  the  back  of  the  book  and  finally  caught.  Figures  of  speech  are  harried 
about.  Gems  are  selected  for  memorization.  The  child  is  told  to  learn,— 
"Silently,  one  by  one,  in  the  infinite  meadows  of  heaven 
Blossomed  the  lovely  stars,  the  forget-me-nots  of  the  angels," 
because  it  is  a  good  example  of  a  metaphor.  Meanwhile,  moral  lessons 
have  been  diligently  brought  from  hiding  and  exploited;  it  seems  to  be 
assumed  that  literature  is  a  text-book  of  didactic  morality. 

ALLEGED   VS.   ACTUAL  RESULTS  OF   LITERATURE   TEACHING. 

The  first  teacher  you  meet  will  tell  you  what  all  this  is  supposed  to 
do  for  the  pupil.  You  will  be  told  trippingly  that  this  work  in  literature 
gives  the  pupil  the  culture  that  comes  from  contact  with  our  master-writers ; 
that  it  inspires  in  him  a  love  for  good  books ;  that  it  purifies  his  heart,  fires 
his  imagination,  develops  his  better  nature,  and  molds  his  character.  Most 
of  us  have  said  this  often  enough  in  one  way  or  another.  But  the  actual 
results  are  not  to  be  proved  by  our  making  this  fluent  boast,  however  honest 
we  may  be  in  it,  but  rather  in  careful  examination  of  our  products,— the 
boys  and  girls  who  pass  through  the  literature  course.  This  is  the  evidence 
upon  which  the  merits  of  the  work  mast  be  judged. 

A    TYPICAL    RESULT. 

The  story  is  told  of  a  boy  who  was  preparing  his  literature  lesson  while 
his  little  sister,  who  had  glanced  over  his  shoulder  at  the  poem  before  him,— 
Gray's  Elegy,— went  about  repeating  to  herself  the  line,  "The  curfew  tolls 
the  knell  of  parting  day,"  "The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day." 
After  she  had  said  this  over  and  over  some  half-dozen  times  the  distracted 
brother  turned  sharply  and  said,  "Why  do  you  go  around  repeating  that  fool 
line?  It  almost  drives  me  crazy."  The  girl,  in  wonder,  replied,  "Why, 
don't  you  like  it?  I  think  it's  beautiful.  It  sounds  so  fine.  Just  listen, 
'The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day.'  I  like  it."  "Like  it!" 
snorted  the  brother,  "You  just  wait  until  you  get  into  the  eighth  grade  and 
hear  the  teacher  say,  'What  does  curfew  mean?     What  does  knell  mean? 

(7) 


What  does  parting  day  mean?  Johnnie,  scan  that  line!  Then  you  won't 
like  it  any  more.  You'll  hate  it."  And  the  pity  of  it  is  that  he  is  right. 
She  and  hundreds  of  others  have  come  to  hate  it,  or  at  best  to  remain 
untouched  by  its  appeal. 

WHAT  LITERATURE  HAS  AND  HAS  NOT  DONE  FOR  OUR  GRADUATES. 

The  writer  has  recently  had  some  experience  with  grammar  and  high 
school  graduates  of  Something  more  than  average  common  sense  and  culture 
and  has  been  interested  in  getting  their  versions  of  the  purposes  of  litera- 
ture in  the  schools  and  the  result  secured  from  school  literature  bj^  the 
pupil.  In  a  majority  of  cases  the  cry  was  first  voiced  that  the  main  pur- 
pose of  the  work  is  to  hunt  down  the  meaning  of  allusions.  It  has  been 
agreed  by  whole  classes  of  these  graduates  from  the  literature  courses  of 
our  grammar  and  high  schools  that  there  is  but  little  reason  for  putting 
the  Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade  into  a  course  in  literature,  because  the 
the  only  thing  to  study  about  in  it  is  the  single  allusion  to  ''Cossacks"! 
Another  prevalent  notion  advanced  by  them  is  that  literature  is  a  means  of 
learning  something  about  authors.  No  claim  was  made  by  these  educated 
young  people  that  they  remembered  anything  of  much  consequence  of  all 
this  biographical  matter;  but  the  learning  of  it  was  no  small  slice  of  their 
school  work  in  literature.  On  a  par  in  importance  was  the  idea  that  litera- 
ture is  the  study  of  language  forms.  All  agreed  that  figures  of  speech, 
versification,  sentence  structure,  derivation  of  words,  and  all  the  rest  of  it, 
had  been  made  much  of  when  the  work  was  done;  although  no  one  could 
remember  of  having  made  any  use  of  such  knowledge  after  the  last  exami- 
nation was  passed.  In  fact,  no  one  seemed  to  have  very  much  of  it  left  to 
use,  or  to  feel  any  keen  embarrassment  due  to  its  absence.  Some  said  that 
paraphrasing,  descriptive  writing,  retelling,  etc.,  was  an  important  part  of 
their  work,  and  that  drill  in  composition  was  one  of  the  principal  results 
attained  by  them.  Moral  lessons  were  also  referred  to  as  an  important 
object. 

Then  proceeding  on  another  tack,  lists  of  the  world-known,  world-loved 
stories  and  poems  have  been  read  to  these  graduates  of  our  literature  classes 
to  see  how  far  their  literary  tastes  had  actually  and  unconsciously  led  them 
into  the  culture  and  knowledge  nearest  the  heart  of  the  subject.  The  result 
was  interesting,  not  to  say  shocking.  Few  knew  anything  about  the  story 
of  Damon  and  Pythias.  No  one  knew  the  story  of  the  sword  of  Damocles. 
Thermopylae  and  Marathon  were  confused  echoes  from  the  ancient  history 
class.  Joan  of  Arc  lived  as  a  badly  blurred  name.  The  Gordian  Knot  was 
a  meaningless  phrase.  The  question  was  asked  one  class,  ' '  How  many  have 
read  some  of  Tennyson's  poems?"  Some  hands  were  raised,  many  brows 
were  contracted,  and  a  look  of  uncertainty  wandered  around  the  room. 
*'I  mean  the  Idyls  of  the  King,  hi  Memoriam,  The  Brook,  The  Charge  of 
the  Light  Brigade,  etc.,"  was  prompted.  All  hands  were  raised.  "Outside 
of  school' and  school  requirements — just  for  fun?"  the  question  concluded. 
All  hands  dropped  but  two, — raised  in  half-ashamed  confession.  And  this 
among  a  score  of  rather  superior  products  of  our  schools. 

(8) 


WANTED:     A    LOVE    OF    GOOD    BOOKS. 

There  is  a  common  cry  that  boys  do  not  like  school  literature,  and  it 
seems  to  be  pretty  well  founded.  Is  it  because  they  do  not  thrill  to  any 
of  the  good  or  brave  or  beautiful  things  which  the  best  men  have  done  or 
thought?  It  is  a  common  cry  that  children  about  to  graduate  from  our 
grammar  schools  do  not  like  to  read.  Is  it  because  human  feelings  have 
become  blunted  in  this  degenerate  age,  and  no  longer  respond  to  the  stimuli 
that  have  moved  the  race  for  lo,  these  many  years?  The  writer  knows  a 
family  of  seven  grown  children,  all  of  them  fairly  well  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  State.  Three  of  them  like  to  read.  One  developed 
well-grooved  tastes  before  he  went  to  school;  another  got  his  cue  from  the 
first  by  way  of  companionship  and  imitation ;  and  the  third  grew  into  a  some- 
what tardy  reading  habit  through  the  temptation  of  fireside  stories,  well- 
filled  book  shelves^  current  literature  in  loads, — and  the  abounding  grace 
of  God.  Nearly  every  other  day  the  principal  of  any  large  grammar  school 
meets  a  parent  whose  boy  is  troublesome  and  tired  of  school.  Four  times 
out  of  five  that  boy  doesn't  like  to  read.     It  is  an  interesting  coincidence. 

PROMISES  UNFULFILLED. 

It  is  plain  statement  of  fact  that  not  one  of  the  glib  promises  which  we 
are  prone  to  make  so  abundantly  for  our  school  work  in  literature  is  being 
commonly  fulfilled.  Our  pupils  are  not  grasping  the  ideals  and  assuming 
the  emotional  attitudes  embodied  in  the  selections  treated.  They  are  not 
developing  a  love  for  good  books.  They  are  not  receiving  their  birthright 
of  appreciation  for  the  lore  of  their  race.  They  are  getting  just  what  we 
give  them :  some  increase  in  the  power  of  oral  reading  unaccompanied  by  a 
love  for  it ;  a  knowledge  of  a  mass  of  idle  gossip  concerning  authors '  lives, 
unconnected  with  any  culture  demand  set  by  the  world  and  hopelessly 
evanescent ;  and  some  insight  into  the  complexities  involved  in  the  technical 
analysis  of  language  forms, — an  insight  painful  and  purposeless  in  its 
acquisition  and  hardly  to  be  maintained  until  the  final  examination  is  over. 

A  BARTERED  BIRTHRIGHT. 

All  this  is  the  logical  price  that  we  must  pay  for  what  we  are  doing 
in  literature.  Figs  have  not  yet  been  gathered  from  thistles; — but  the 
course  of  study  has  ingeniously  grafted  thistles  onto  fig  trees  and  gathered 
a  bountiful  crop.  Children  with  the  normal  healthy  appetites  of  their 
unfolding  emotional  life  have  asked  for  bread ;  and  we  have  handed  them  a 
stone.  They  have  clamored  for  meat ;  and  we  have  passed  them  a  serpent. 
Being  intelligent,  they  do  not  raise  their  plates  for  second  helping.  Then 
we  marvel  at  the  decreasing  popular  interest  in  poetry,  bewail  the  decay  of 
the  old-time  love  for  the  literary  heritage  of  the  race, — and  cry  anathemas 
against  the  sordid  commercial  age  in  which  our  lines  have  fallen !  The 
times  are  all  right  and  so  are  the  children;  but  in  so  far  as  our  schools 
could  do  it  the  literary  birthright  of  our  boys  and  girls  has  been  bartered 
for  a  mess  of  pottage.  It  is  high  time  for  us  to  ask  whether  we  are  content 
with  the  results  of  this  transaction. 

.  (9) 


THE   TRUE  PURPOSES   OF   SCHOOL   LITERATURE. 

In  the  first  place,  what  should  we  set  up  as  the  objective,  the  end  to  be 
attained,  in  teaching  literature  ?  There  are  several  ways  of  answering  this 
question.  One  is  merely  to  repeat  what  we  have  heard,  the  time-worn 
phrases  of  the  craft, — ' '  character  building, "  ' '  lofty  ideals, "  "  insight  into 
the  beauties  of  our  language,"  ''appreciation  of  the  author's  life,"  "trained 
imagination."  But  such  a  statement  leaves  us  holding  to  promises  whose 
fulfillment  we  have  been  unable  to  perform. 

Another  way  to  formulate  the  purpose  of  school  literature  is  to  claim 
for  its  teaching  every  desirable  result  that  the  generosity  of  our  hearts  can 
dictate.  This  has  been  done  so  freely  in  the  recent  past  for  other  subjects 
that  it  might  seem  only  fair  to  let  literature  make  its  boast  along  with  the 
rest.  But  what  we  might  wish  to  draw  from  literature  and  what  literature  is 
really  adapted  to  yield  are  very  different  things.  Surely  it  becomes  school 
folk,  who  hold  the  confidence  of  the  people,  to  be  conservative  and  sound  in 
every  promise.    Our  hopes  and  wishes  are  not  a  safe  guide. 

A  third  way  is  open.  AVe  may  see  what  values  the  subject  should  yield 
by  noting  carefully  the  values  it  always  has  yielded  to  the  generations 
of  men.  What  has  literature  proved  itself  able  to  do  ?  These  things  above 
all  others  it  has  done :  It  has  lifted  the  individual  from  the  routine  of  his 
limited  personal  experience  and  has  given  him  participation  in  all  that 
the  greatest  have  done,  or  known,  or  felt.  It  has  solidified  for  nations  their 
national  lore,  and  has  given  races  their  traditions.  It  has  crystallized  and 
preserved  a  wonderful  series  of  mental  and  emotional  attitudes.  It  has 
given  us  social  standards.  iMoreover^  it  has  kept  the  individual  with  his 
nation,  loyal  to  his  race,  in  touch  with  his  social  standards,  by  giving  him 
the  viewpoint  of  his  fellows, — by  bringing  him  within  the  scope  of  that 
which  has  molded  his  fellows.  And  at  all  times  it  has  been  a  source  of 
pleasure.  Ever  since  men  have  been  men  the  bard  and  story-teller  have 
been  chief  among  entertainers. 

Let  us  imagine  a  man  cut  off  from  the  literature  that  is  current  in  the 
world  about  him.  Suppose  that  he  has  never  by  literary  proxy  fought  at 
Thermopylae,  or  held  the  Tiber  bridge,  or  stood  for  knightly  honor  with  the 
heroes  of  Arthur,  or  forced  a  charter  from  King  John,  or  suffered  and 
rejoiced  with  the  IMerchant  of  Venice,  or  felt  the  call  when  the  poet  said, 
''There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  wood,"  and  "The  moon  doth  with 
delight  look  round  her  when  the  heavens  are  bare"; — suppose,  in  short, 
that  he  has  never  enjoyed  and  felt  the  meaning  of  the  myths  and  legends, 
poems,  stories,  and  inspired  interpretations  that  live  in  the  hearts  of  those 
about  him, — what  sort  of  a  creature  would  such  a  one  be  ?  Suppose,  further, 
that  he  is  endowed  with  all  else  that  education  can  supply:  still  he  is  far 
from  being  a  man  in  fellowship  with  his  kind.  He  has  "varied  from  the 
kindly  race  of  men."  He  is  a  thing  apart,  an  outcast  and  a  lonely  thing, 
unsocial  unhuman,  a  product  of  his  own  feeble  class  with  environment, 
emotionally  the  result  of  his  own  paltry  experiences. 

To  prevent  such  a  condition  is  the  function  of  literature.  Its  chief  service 
is  to  give  the  individual  the  experience  of  those  emotions,  the  possession  of 

(10) 


those  mental  attitudes  which  come  from  an  appreciation  of  the  literature 
current  in  his  social  world.  He  must  be  brought  into  touch  with  the  char- 
acters, situations,  problems,  and  issues  that  literature  has  presented  to  his 
kind.  The  wealth  of  story  and  story  appreciation  that  has  been  stored  up 
through  the  centuries  for  the  race  must  be  opened  for  him. 


Some  are  not  content  to  stop  here  and  acknowledge  that  a  sufficient  pur- 
pose has  been  found.  They  would  set  up  the  teaching  of  literature  as  the 
machinery  for  making  writers.  Or  they  declare  that  the  school  has  done 
its  duty  only  when  literary  appreciations  have  led  to  moral  conduct.  In 
order  to  square  our  promises  by  performance,  let  us  stand  on  the  solid 
ground  of  what  the  subject  can  do,  and  what  when  given  half  a  chance  it 
does  do,  than  to  depend  on  any  frail  hope  as  to  what  we  may  fondly  hope  it 
should  do  or  might  do.  ^ 

If  an  intelligent  teacher  were  asked  by  a  parent,  "Can  you  give  my 
boy,— an  ordinary  normal  boy,  under  ordinary  normal  conditions,— a  love 
for  the  works  of  Shakespeare  and  an  appreciation  of  the  world's  best 
known,  most  used  literature?"  she  would  not  be  deceiving  herself  or  him 
to  say,  "Yes,  I  can.  Give  me  the  boy,  and  don't  bother  me  with  a  course 
of  study  that  puts  everything  before  literary  appreciation,  and  I'll  give 
the  boy  a  love  for  the. world's  best  stories."  But  if  the  parent  were  not 
satisfied  therewith  and  asked  in  addition,— "Then  will  you  not,  also,  teach 
him  to  write  such  plays  as  Shakespeare  wrote,  or  at  least  something  or 
other  that  the  world  will  love  and  hold  to?"— the  teacher,  being  intelligent, 
and  not  being  in  the  business  of  taking  money  and  children  under  false 
pretenses,  should  say,  "No,  I  can't  do  it.  If  I  could,  I  would  resign  the 
teaching  of  school  and  take  to  running  the  universe."  Any  ordinary 
teacher  can  lead  any  ordinary  boy  to  admire  the  heroism  of  Leonidas  or  the 
civic  virtue  of  the  Consul  Brutus;— attitudes  of  feeling  that  place  him  at 
one  on  these  points  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  But  she  would  have  to 
remodel  his  ancestry,  reconstruct  his  home  life,  direct  his  doings  and  his 
diet,  supervise  his  vital  functioning,  control  the  operation  of  his  seven 
senses,  and  then  at  just  the  right  psychological  moment  create  exactly  the 
right  situation  in  order  to  make  him  fight  like  Leonidas,  or  serve  the  state 
as  did  the  first  Roman  Consul.  Life  conduct  is  the  resultant  of  a  complex- 
ity of  forces  over  which  the  school  has  but  a  limited  control.  There  is  no 
school  formula  in  literature  or  any  other  subjects  that  will  make  the  pupil 
truthful,  or  kind,  or  self-reliant,  or  honest,  in  the  situations  that  later  years 
may  bring  forth. 

BY-PRODUCTS.  * 

Yet  for  those  who  would  shrink  from  believing  this,— a  fact  commonly 
attested  in  the  experiences  of  every  one,— there  is  still  some  comfort.  Our 
emotional  experiences  and  our  mental  attitudes  that  we  gain  from  litera- 
ture are  factors  in  the  complex  of  causes  that  determines  conduct.  The 
boy  who  admires  the  fidelity  of  Evangeline  may  not  be  faithful  in  a  much 

(11) 


less  tr^^iiig"  situation;  yet  his  admiration  for  the  ideal  love  of  the  heroine 
has  set  np  a  tension  toward  the  right.  Public  opinion,  too,  is  a  very  power- 
ful factor  in  shaping  individual  conduct.  If  our  literature  could  lead  to 
a  crystallization  of  strong  community  feeling  on  the  subject  of  family 
affection  or  civic  duty,  a  force  would  be  established  powerful  enough  to 
direct  the  actions  of  the  individual  in  the  specific  situations  involved.  But 
when  all  is  said  and  done  the  direct,  positive  end  of  literature  is  pure  appre- 
ciation of  the  stories  to  which  the  world  clings.  "What  by-products  may 
come  from  this,  what  far  distant,  untraced  consequences  may  arise,  are 
not  practical  objects  toward  which  to  aim.  They  will  take  care  of  themr 
selves  if  we  but  teach  literature  so  as  to  draw  from  it  its  real  and  palpable 
values. 

OBJECTS    MUST    BE    ATTAINABLE    AS    WELL    AS    DESIRABLE. 

Let  US  be  content,  therefore,  to  see  literature  do  what  it  always  has  done 
in  the  education  of  the  feelings  and  in  yielding  the  main  supply  of  the  cul- 
ture of  the  race.  Otherwise  in  trying  to  get  from  it  results  that  are  specu- 
lative and  remote  we  will  throw  away  the  substance  in  grasping  at  the 
shadow.  It  has  been  said  that  some  of  the  best  mines  in  Nevada  have  been 
promoted  and  overcapitalized  until  they  have  become  the  wildest  of  wild- 
cats. Gold  is  in  these  mines,— loads  of  it;  but  when  the  prospective 
investor  has  asked  what  he  could  get  by  putting  in  his  savings,  the  pro- 
moter instead  of  showing  that  the  dividends  would  pay  for  a  modest  house 
and  lot  in  the  suburbs,  has  dazzled  him  with  visions  of  a  palace  on  Fifth 
Avenue  and  a  steam  yacht  on  the  Mediterranean.  In  our  efforts  to  get 
something  good  out  of  literature  we  must  not  be  guilty  of  overcapitaliza- 
tion, or  of  exploiting  the  wrong  leads.  Values  are  before  us,  well  worth 
the  winning,— tangible  values,  demonstrably  within  our  grasp,— if  we  but 
square  our  work  to  attain  them.  There  is  so  much  for  the  teacher  of 
literature  to  do  which  should  be  and  can  be  done,— and  that  in  most  schools 
is  not  being  done.— that  there  is  no  time  to  follow  every  hue  and  cry  promis- 
ing the  speculative  dividends  of  frenzied  pedagogy. 

THE   CONTENT   OP   THE   COURSE  OF   STUDY  IN   LITERATURE. 

How  can  the  true  ends  of  literature  be  attained?  In  other  words,  how 
can  the  school  boy  be  given  friendly  acquaintance  with  the  literature  that 
has  become  common  property  ?  First  of  all  the  course  of  study  must  consist 
of  the  right  selections  and  enough  of  them.  In  both  respects  our  present 
courses  in  literature  are  generally  lacking. 

SIR  ROGER  DE  COVERLET,  A  TYPICALLY  BAD  CASE. 

Of  late  years  the  Sir  Roger  de  Caverley  Papers  have  crept  into  a  number 
of  courses  of  study  in  literature.  These  essays  on  the  social  life  of  an 
English  country  gentleman  of  the  early  eighteenth  century  had  a  limited 
vogue  in  their  day  in  the  coffee  clubs  and  among  literary  epicures  and  their 
following  of  satellites.  Since  then  the  specialist  in  English  literature  has 
been  busy  upon  them.     He  has  discovered  that  they  have  a  "place"  in  the 

(12) 


development  of  English  prose.  He  has  noted,  presumably  with  joy,  that 
they  are  written  in  a  curious  style,  somewhat  pompous,  not  to  say  clumsy, 
according  to  modern  standards.  He  has  found  them  to  be  full  of  quaint 
words  and  odd  constructions  and  to  yield  innumerable  allusions  to  events 
and  conditions  that  have  been  generally  forgotten  for  over  a  hundred 
years.  All  this  offers  a  wide  range  for  study,  a  chance  for  fine  smackings 
of  appreciations,  and  gives  the  specialist  great  joy.  Naturally  he  has  found 
the  papers  interesting,  just  as  a  paleontologist  finds  an  odd  bone  or  a  per- 
plexing fossil  a  source  of  interest.     It  is  of  the  things  nearest  his  heart. 

All  this  is  well  enough.  But  the  scholars  and  those  who  watch  them  in 
order  to  grasp  the  better  at  an  affectation  of  scholarship  have  not  been  con- 
tent with  this.  They  have  put  the  essays  into  the  public  schools  so  that  little 
children  may  get  the  rare  delights  which  the  specialists  have  experienced 
in  ransacking  them.  This  is  a  generous  but  a  strange  proceeding.  Strange 
when  one  remembers  that  five  generations  of  Americans  have  steadily 
refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  Roger  de  Coverley  Essays  outside  of 
school  hours.  Strange  indeed  when  one  considers  the  fact  that  these  papers 
deal  in  a  superficial  way  with  the  social  conventions  of  a  special  day  and 
land  and  have  no  pressing  claim  on  the  hearts  of  those  living  in  a  different 
day  and  land.  And  doubly  strange  when  it  is  seen  that  the  only  possible 
interest  such  literature  may  have  is  addressed  to  the  specialist  or  the  con-, 
noisseur  in  literature,  among  whose  numbers  not  one  in  a  thousand  gram- 
mar school  children  will  ever  be  found. 

And  all  this  is  bad.  It  is  bad  because  it  has  resulted  in  teaching  that 
has  been  without  educational  result;  because  in  its  very  nature  it  has  not 
been  a  selection  of  material  for  literature  work  that  is  adapted  to  yield 
values  to  the  everyday  American  of  average  education.  Moreover,  it  is 
only  a  type  case  of  many  other  improper  selections,  and  an  illustration  of 
the  special  interests  that  sway  in  directing  the  schoolroom  method  of  treat- 
ing still  other  subjects  which,  if  well  presented,  might  yield  values. 

THE  world's  appreciation,  A  SOUND  BASIS  FOR  SELECTION. 

Some  one  will  say,  ''Whose  word  is  to  be  taken  as  to  the  suitability 
of  this  or  that  selection  for  school  work  in  literature  if  the  scholar  is  not 
to  lead?  Who  else  has  the  wisdom  to  decide?  If  the  specialist  is  at  fault 
no  one  is  able  to  stand  before  the  county  board  and  out  of  the  depths  of 
his  own  judgment  make  safe  answer."  Fortunately,  there  is  no  need  to 
appeal  to  any  one.  The  great  mass  of  cultured,  well-read  Americans  have 
decided.  They  have  clung  to  the  story  of  William  Tell.  They  are  intimate 
with  Hercules  and  his  exploits.  They  are  still  on  friendly  terms  wtih  Robin 
Hood  and  King  Arthur  and  Ivanhoe.  On  the  other  hand,  they  have  placed 
The  Great  Stone  Face  on  a  top  shelf;  they  have  forgotton  that  there  ever 
was  such  a  poem  as  Comus;  and  they  have  never  of  their  free  will  known 
or  cared  about  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley.  These  latter  works  may  make  ever 
so  strong  an  appeal  to  the  specialist  in  literature,  but  they  show  no  hold 
on  the  general  interest  of  our  fellows ;  and  this  in  spite  of  their  bolstering 
and  nursing  in  courses  of  study  in  literature. 

(13) 


This  fact,  plainly  evidenced  by  any  investigation  into  the  matter  but 
probably  self-evident  to  all,  has  come  about  through  the  operation  of  a 
well-known  natural  law,  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest.  In  the  affec- 
tions of  the  generations  the  fittest  has  not  meant  the  selection  that  offers 
the  best  occasion  for  allusion  hunting,  or  style  analj^sis,  or  discussion  of 
place  in  literary  history,  or  special  tang  for  favored  palates.  But  the  race 
has  chosen  as  fittest  to  live  in  its  affections  those  stories,  poems,  and  inter- 
pretations that  have  proved  themselves  to  appeal  to  the  fundamental  human 
feelings  and  that  have  aroused  through  their  situations  the  loves  and  the 
hates  and  the  admirations  that  stand  typical  of  the  heart  of  'the  people.  It 
is  of  this  literature,  proved  fittest  to  move  our  hearts  by  the  token  that  it 
has  moved  the  hearts  of  our  fellows,  that  we  should  build  up  our  grammar 
school  course  of  study.  Through  it  the  boy  can  be  brought  to  his  own  in  the 
literary  birthright  of  his  generation.  It  is  the  only  means  whereby  he 
may  experience  the  emotional  experiences,  the  appreciations  of  specific 
situations,  characters,  and  motives  that  literature  has  yielded  to  those  who 
form  his  social  unit. 

THE    COURSE   SHOULD   CONTAIN   MANY   SELECTIONS. 

It  is  not  sufficient,  however,  that  the  course  of  study  should  consist  of 
xight  selections.  It  must  contain  enough  right  selections.  One  swallow 
does  not  make  the  spring,  nor  will  one  poem  in  the  literature  class  develop 
an  appreciation  for  poetry.  Eeading  tastes  are  not  formed  over  night  or 
through  one  literary  experience.  They  are  the  product  of  long  and  varied 
contact  with  literature.  The  absence  of  this  breadth  of  literary  contact 
is  one  of  the  fundamental  w^eaknesses  in  our  present  course  of  study. 

There  is  another  vital  consideration  that  should  urge  us  to  increase  the 
number  of  selections  given  for  study  in  the  school.  The  purpose  of  the 
work  is  to  give  the  child  acquaintance  with  the  literary  lore  that  is  found 
current  in  the  broader  life  about  him.  Plainly  this  can  not  be  done  by 
introducing  him  to  merely  a  small  fragment  of  this  lore.  He  will  not 
have  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  Horatius  because  he  has  met  Leonidas. 
Snow-hound  will  not  give  him  the  emotional  attitudes  that  are  common 
among  his  fellows  from  their  appreciation  of  Evangeline.  The  child  must 
be  brought  into  direct  intimate  touch  with  as  many  specific  characters  and 
situations  in  literature  i  s  are  necessary  in  order  to  give  him  what  the  world 
about  him  possesses.  In  this  way  he  will  be  brought  to  have  his  share  in 
the  staple  culture  of  his  race. 

DANGERS    OF    THE    ^^TYPE    METHOD.^' 

It  has  been  urged  in  this  connection  that  a  few  literary  types,  thoroughly 
presented,  will  serve  to  give  general  appreciation.  "Without  commenting 
here  on  the  dangers  lurking  in  the  common  ideas  about  ''thorough  pre- 
sentation," it  may  be  pointed  out  that  this  is  just  what  our  schools  are 
doing  and  that  the  results  show  no  signs  of  a  general  literary  appreciation 
among  our  graduates.  The  literary  type  idea  is  dangerous  because  it 
seeks  to  maintain  a  fundamental  error  in  our  schools  and  to  ground  that 

(14) 


error  upon  a  pedagogical  theory.  It  does  not  note  the  palpable  facts  that 
habits  of  reading,  like  other  habits,  are  the  result  of  many  experiences ;  that 
the  child  must  grow  to  a  mature  literary  taste  through  many  contacts  Avith 
literature;  that  the  type  selected  may  not  be  individually  a  selection  that 
has  any  part  in  the  world  culture  in  literature  and  hence  may  offer  the 
pupil  no  help  in  securing  his  share  of  that  culture ;  and  that  the  scheme  has 
long  been  tried  and  found  wanting. 

A  WIDE  LITERARY  CONTENT,  THROUGHOUT  THE  GRADES. 

The  subject  matter  of  a  literature  course  that  is  set  fair  for  results  should 
consist  of  a  great  many  selections  suitable  for  all  the  grades.  In  the 
primary  grades  this  has  been  provided  for  far  better  than  in  the  grammar 
grades.  The  story  hour  still  has  its  place  in  most  primary 'departments. 
It  is  sometimes  being  supplemented  by  the  chalk-talk  and  the  many  excellent 
storj^  readers.  In  the  best  primary  departments  well-worn  myths,  legends, 
fables,  and  children's  stories  are  receiving  increasing  emphasis. 

But  the  grammar  grades  have  never  claimed  their  share.  Not  less  than 
half  a  hundred  selections  should  form  the  grammar  grade  literature  course. 

These  selections  should  be  chosen  from  the  literature  that  has  been  and  is 
a  vital  part  of  the  culture  and  knowledge  of  the  world.  They  should 
be  such  as  constitute  the  core  of  the  literary  experiences  of  the  mass  of 
educated  people.  Many  of  them  (e.  g.,  Hercules  stories;  William  Tell; 
Evangeline;)  may  very  well  be  second-time-over  presentations  of  stories 
first  told  to  children  down  in  the  primary  grades. 

It  is  an  error  to  suppose  that  children  do  not  profit  by  a  second  contact 
with  the  best  literature  and  that  they  do  not  enjoy  the  second  encounter. 
A  good  story  is  never  hackneyed  and  stale.  A  great  story  has  layer  on 
layer  of  meaning  in  it.  It  is  this  underlying  vitality  and  richness  that 
is  at  the  bottom  when  a  story  lives  through  the  centuries.  No  primary  grade 
child  can  rise  to  a  full  appreciation  of  the  Trojan  War.  He  may  admire  the 
courage  of  Achilles  and  delight  in  the  spectacle  of  the  wooden  horse;  but 
he  will  not  feel  the  depth  of  motives  that  governed  Protesilaus  in  his 
sacrifice,  nor  can  he  appreciate  the  pathos  and  the  heroic  devotion  that 
vibrate  through  the  incident  of  Hector  parting  from  his  wife  and  baby 
at  the  city's  gate.  Literature  that  arouses  the  deepest  and  strongest  of 
human  emotions  is  a  recurring  source  of  enjoyment.  Like  the  best  music 
and  the  great  picture  it  has  reserves  of  value.  We  see  more  in  it  and  love 
it  more  each  time  we  meet  it. 

SUPPLEMENTARY  READING  FOR  PLEASURE. 

Besides  the  considerable  number  of  selections  that  should  constitute  the 
class  work  in  grammar  grade  literature,  a  wide  range  of  supplementary 
reading  should  be  insured  so  as  to  lead  the  pupil  into  reading  habits. 
First,  should  be  aroused  an  appreciation  of  the  stories  treated  in  class. 
Then  should  come  exercise  of  the  tastes  thus  whetted  in  the  reading  of  good 
books  for  pleasure's  sake.  This  is  the  second  step  in  the  fixing  of  good 
reading  habits.     The  material  thus  to  be  used  by  the  pupils  in  outside 

(15) 


reading   should   be   selected   with   considerable   latitude.      Any   book    not 
positively  harmful  in  its  effects  is  admissible. 

There  are,  therefore,  two  classes  of  material  to  be  used  in  connection  with 
grannnar  school  work.  First,— the  material  that  forms  the  basis  for  class 
work.  This  should  be  selected  from  the  literature  that  has  become  a  part 
of  our  race  culture,  and  it  should  consist  of  as  many  selections  as  possible. 
Second, — the  material  that  is  used  as  a  basis  for  supplementary  reading. 
This  should  consist  in  large  part  of  standard,  current  books;  but  no  title 
is  to  be  excluded  unless  it  contains  a  menace  to  the  welfare  of  the  child. 
At  all  times  the  adaptability  of  the  selections  to  the  appreciations  of  children 
must  be  assured. 

METHODS    IN    LITERATURE. 

But  even  with  clear  and  worthy  ends  in  view  and  with  a  content  wisely 
chosen  the  work  in  literature  may  still  be  of  no  avail.  Unwise  methods 
may  still  defeat  the  attainment  of  the  true  ends  of  the  course  of  study. 
It  is  safe,  indeed,  to  say  that  the  grammar  school  work  in  literature  could 
never  be  fully  worth  while  as  long  as  present  methods  continue,  no  matter 
how  carefully  the  course  might  be  planned.  Let  us  see  what  the  situation 
is  and  where  improvement  may  be  made. 

PREVAILING     METHODS. 

The  commonly  accepted  method  of  teaching  literature  has  been  described 
already  and  a  detailed  review  is  not  necessary  here.  Besides,  most  of  us 
remember  it  as  it  was  applied  to,  and  later  by,  ourselves.  Its  principal 
characteristics  are  as  follows: 

1.  The  author's  life  is  studied. 

2.  Analysis  of  diction,  derivation  of  words,  study  ol;  sentence  structure, 
diagramming  of  obscure  passages,  and  examination  of  elements  of  para- 
graph structure  are  later  taken  up. 

3.  Allusion  hunting,  note  grinding,  and  glossary  thumbing  are  an 
important  aspect  of  the  work. 

4.  Written  paraphrases  and  other  composition  exercises  accompany  the 
study. 

5.  The  principles  of  versification  are  considered. 

6.  Figures  of  speech  are  defined  and  classified. 

7.  Memory  selections  are  forced  upon  unresponsive  minds. 

8.  The  text  comes  before  the  class  in  the  form  of  an  oral  reading  lesson. 

FORM  ANALYSIS,  TH!E  BANE  OF  PRESENT  METHODS. 

A  mere  enumeration  of  these  aspects  of  our  present  method  is  enough  to 
show  the  state  of  affairs  that  our  school  literature  is  in.  Not  one  of  the 
lines  of  study  indicated  is  adapted  to  bring  out  the  literary  values  for  the 
attainment  of  which  the  work  is  framed.  The  general  fault  is  that  the 
emphasis  has  been  placed  on  the  forms  of  literature  rather  than  on  its 
content.     It  is  assumed  that  if  a  pupil  knows  a  simile  from  a  metaphor  he 

(16) 


is  then  and  there  in  a  state  fit  to  appreciate  the  beauty  of  both ;  that  if  he 
can  name  the  kind  of  versification  he  is  reading  then  he  will  feel  its  charm. 
It  has  been  forgotten  that  literature  is  in  the  first  instance  something  to 
enjoy,  to  respond  to  emotionally,  that  its  characters  and  situations  are 
the  center  of  it  all.  It  has  been  lost  sight  of  that  the  form  does  not  exist 
as  an  object  of  study,  save  to  the  specialist,  but  as  a  medium  through  which 
the  beauty  and  charm  of  the  content  may  be  shown  forth.  We  have  given 
the  bare  forms,  the  husks  of  literature,  to  the  children  and  have  forgotten 
about  the  kernel. 

In  every  old  story  and  in  every  poem  that  has  lived  in  the  appreciations 
of  mankind  there  is  something  to  arouse  emotional  response.  There  are 
fascinating  situations  for  us  to  participate  in,  there  are  beautiful  scenes  for 
us  to  see,  there  are  brave  deeds  and  wise  decisions  for  us  to  do  and  make. 
To  these  kernels  of  the  subject  all  method  in  literature  must  lead  if  it  be 
well  founded. 

LITERARY   APPRECIATION,    CHILLED   BY    TRADITIONAL    METHODS. 

There  is  no  intention  here  to  disparage  oral  reading,  composition  work, 
and  such  study  of  language  forms  as  may  be  reasonable.  But  they  are  not 
ends  in  literature  teaching  and  they  must  be  taught  in  courses  of  which  they 
may  be  made  the  proper  goals.  We  do  not  read  a  novel  to  learn  how  to 
read  or  to  become  skilled  in  classifying  figures  of  speech  or  to  afford  us  the 
delights  of  allusion  hunting.  We  read  it  because  it  gives  us  imaginary 
introduction  to  interesting  people,  and  because  through  its  pages  we  enter 
into  experiences  which  we  enjoy.  What  would  you  think  if  you  were  asked 
to  treat  the  next  novel  you  read  according  to  the  grammar  school  formula 
for  studying  Ivanhoef  Imagine  the  situation  for  a  moment.  First,  you 
are  compelled  to  study  a  dry  four-page  sketch  of  the  author's  life.  To 
satisfy  our  comparison  this  sketch  must  not  be  an  appreciation  or  an  inter- 
pretation of  his  life,— that  would  be  enough  of  an  infliction,— but  it  must 
be  a  series  of  chronicled  facts  largely  attached  to  dates.  Upon  your  knowl- 
edge of  these  facts  and  dates  you  are  then  compelled  to  pass  a  quiz. 
Thereafter,  the  text  of  the  novel  is  placed  before  you.  Its  beauty  and 
charm  are  made  manifest  by  oral  reading,  one  paragraph  at  a  time  and 
each  in  a  different  style  and  voice,— and  each  voice  belonging  to  a  different 
boy  or  girl  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age.  Sometimes  you  have  your 
turn  at  a  paragraph,  standing  while  you  read  in  an  easy  and  appreciative 
posture :  heels  together,  chest  thrown  out,  book  fourteen  inches  from  your 
eyes.  At  the  end  of  each  paragraph,  yours  included,  every  one  joins  in  help- 
ful suggestion  concerning  (1)  whether  or  not  the  reader  raised  his  eyes 
at  ditJt'erent  places,  (2)  whether  he  modulated  his  voice  according  to  right 
standards,  (3)  whether  he  mispronounced  this  or  that  word,   (4)   whether 

he  is  able  to  pick  out  the  subject  of  the  paragraph, (n)   whether 

his  toes  were  turned  in  or  out.  When  criticism  of  the  reading  is  over, — 
and  the  paragraph,  if  it  be  an  ugly  one,  may  be  read  two  or  three 
times  before  it  is  finally  polished  off,— an  interlocutor  stands  ready  to  test 

2— cuL.  5  (17) 


you  and  the  other  readers  on  a  variety  of  matters  touching  it:  Is  such 
and  such  a  sentence  too  long?  Why  is  the  exclamation  point  used  after 
' '  Ah ' '  in  the  fourth  line  ?  Give  the  seven  rules  concerning  the  exclamation 
point.  Give  the  definition  of  ''tempestuous."  Name  a  synonym  for  it. 
What  is  a  synonym  ?  Name  another  synonym.  Explain  the  derivation  of 
''diverting."  Are  there  any  figures  of  speech  in  the  paragraph?  What 
figure  is  found  in  the  third  sentence?  Define  personification?  What  is 
the  difference  between  a  personification  and  a  metaphor?  What  is  the 
antecedent  of  "  it "  in  line  ten  ?  Diagram  the  sentence.  Explain  the  allu- 
sion to  Patagonia,  in  line  thirteen.  What  does  the  paragraph  tell  you  con- 
cerning the  author's  own  life?  Does  the  last  sentence  make  you  joyful  or 
sad?  What  words  in  it  are  suggestive  of  sadness?  Give  the  content  of 
the  paragraph  in  your  own  words.  What  does  the  paragraph  teach  you 
concerning  respect  for  your  elders?     Express  the  subject  of  the  paragraph 

in  one  sentence. And  so  on,  for  each  paragraph  in  the  meager 

daily  dole. 

How  would  you  like  to  supply  this  method  to  your  next  novel  or  maga- 
zine story?  Would  such  a  method  arouse  your  appreciations,  stimulate 
your  emotions,  and  give  to  you  the  delight  that  comes  from  real  immersion 
in  a  story?  Would  you,  in  all  candor,  have  anything  to  do  with  literature 
if  you  had  to  approach  it  through  such  an  ordeal?  There  is  no  wonder 
that  children  hate  ''literature"  when  they  are  introduced  to  it  through 
methods  that  would  chill  the  zeal  of  an  appreciative  adult  reader.  The 
truth  is  that  under  such  conditions  they  have  really  never  tasted  literature 
at  all ;  they  have  simply  been  stuffed  on  its  husks. 

ORIGIN   OF  PREVAILING   METHOD   IN   LITERATURE. 

Why  did  such  thumbscrew-and-rack  methods  ever  come  into  use?  There 
seem  to  be  several  influences  inspiring  and  directing  the  system. 

INFLUENCE  OF  THE  LATIN  TRADITION  ON   METHOD. 

In  the  first  place,  historical  influences  in  the  form  of  age-old  traditions 
have  been  at  work.  At  the  time  our  modern  schools  were  starting  their 
courses  of  study  every  modern  language  of  western  Europe  was  under  the 
ban  of  scholarship  and  without  the  pale  of  the  school.  In  that  day  every 
one  who  boasted  a  yearning  for  culture  assumed  to  deny  as  far  as  possible 
the  very  existence  of  his  mother  tongue.  Classical  Latin  was  the  heart  of 
education.  Its  study  was  largely  a  study  of  language  forms.  Its  scholar- 
ship was  not  thought  to  be  the  scholarship  of  the  world  but  of  a  favored 
class.  Later  on,  beginning  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  a 
variety  of  factors  gradually  forced  the  mother  tongue  into  the  class  room. 
At  once  the  standards  of  the  traditional  classic  were  applied  to  it.  Indeed, 
a  strong  argument  for  its  admission  was  that  it  could  be  made  subject  to 
the  same  sort  of  study  that  had  been  devoted  to  the  Latin.  A  grammar 
was  run  for  it  in  ill-fitting  Latin  molds ;  a  category  of  its  figures  was  made ; 
its  poetry  was  analyzed  and  found  to  yield  principles  of  versification;  its 

(18) 


diction  was  made  reputable  by  being  interpreted  in  terms  of  Latin  deriva- 
tion; classical  allusions, — common  enough  in  the  English  of  that  day, — 
still  further  enhanced  the  possibilities  of  exploitation  in  the  school.  And 
so  our  present-day  school  work  concerning  the  race  language  was  set  on  its 
way  under  the  influences  of  the  methodology  of  the  classics. 

INFLUENCE  OF   SCHOLARSHIP  ON  METHOD. 

The  study  of  English  was  thus  given  its  early  caste  by  the  traditional 
objects  and  the  ideals'  of  the  study  of  the  language  forms  of  Latin.  Since 
then  the  hand  of  the  scholar  has  been  busy  with  it.  The  study  of  the 
English  proved  a  rich  digging.  It  soon  became  a  field  for  research  and 
exploitation  by  a  new  cult  of  scholars.  As  the  researches  grew  deeper,  the 
accumulation  of  knowledge  concerning  the  language  grew  to  imposing  bulk. 
It  had  a  history ;  its  grammar  was  full  of  delightful  questions  for  discussion ; 
its  words  were  derived  not  only  from  Latin,  but  from  half  a  dozen  inter- 
mediate and  ultimate  sources;  there  were  rules  governing  their  pronuncia- 
tion ;  rules,  too,  for  its  sentence-making  and  paragraphing.  Without  much 
delay  the  scholar  proved  that,  as  a  field  for  the  study  of  language,  English 
could  be  made  quite  as  formal  and  almost  as  respectable  as  Latin.  Under 
this  showing  its  stock  rose  and  the  common  schools  of  our  country  invested 
heartily  in  it. 

Now  a  curious  fact  should  be  observed  at  this  point:  the  scholars,  who, 
through  their  excellent  system  of  division  of  labor,  gathered  together  and 
organized  the  va.st  mass  of  knowledge  now  extant  concerning  the  language, 
did  not  stop  to  inquire  how  much  or  just  what  of  all  this  aggregate  wisdom 
should  be  instilled  into  the  minds  of  boys  and  girls  who  were  not  preparing 
for  special  research  work  in  English  but  who  merely  wished  a  general 
adjustment  to  the  demands  of  life.  Perhaps  it  was  not  the  business  of  the 
scholars  to  warn  the  public  that  nine-tenths  of  what  they  knew  was  only 
of  value  to  the  specialist ;  or  it  may  be  that  they  were  stirred  by  the  taunts 
and  stimulated  by  the  example  of  their  brothers  in  the  field  of  Latin; 
or  possibly,  being  very  busy  men,  they  never  thought  much  about  it;  but 
the  fact  is  that  as  their  research  advanced,  in  like  ratio  and  in  the  same 
direction  grew  the  study  of  the  English  language  forms  in  the  public 
schools.  The  standard  of  pure  scholarship,  which  in  plain  terms  is  merely 
the  study  of  a  subject  for  the  subject 's  sake,  thus  came  to  direct  the  growth 
of  the  common  school  course  in  literature, — whose  standard  should  have 
been  the  study  of  the  subject  for  the  boys'  and  girls'  sake. 

FICTIONS  OF  PEDAGOGY. 

When  the  law  finds  itself  in  a  logical  cul-de-sac  it  invents  what  is  called 
a  fiction  of  law  and  thus  manages  to  maintain  a  serious  face  on  the  situation. 
When  the  scholars  of  English  and  the  scholars  of  pedagogy  found  that  they 
were  giving  a  nation's  children  a  course  in  English  that  seemed  to  many 
to  be  as  purposeless  in  selection  of  material  and  almost  as  void  in  real 
efficiency  as  the  narrow  Latin  course  had  been,  they  also  took  refuge  in  a 

(19)  , 


fiction, — a  fiction  of  pedagogy.  They  did  not  invent  it, — in  fact  they  were 
largely  invented  by  it, — but  they  modified  and  adapted  and  decorated  and 
bedecked  it,  and  commended  it  to  the  admiration  of  the  world.  This 
fiction  declared  that  the  orderly  study  of  grammar,  syntax,  rhetoric^ 
prosody,  and  language  forms  in  general,  along  the  line  on  which  scholars 
had  organized  them,  gave  general  strength  to  the  mind,  cogency  to  the 
judgment,  keenness  to  the  observation,  retentiveness  to  the  memory;  that 
it  was,  in  short,  a  quick  way  to  insure  the  full  and  general  efficiency  of  all 
the  mental  processes.  Other  and  minor  fictions,  equally  pleasing,  have 
been  invented  from  time  to  time  as  their  need  became  manifest:  (1)  that 
the  study  of  grammar  teaches  children  to  speak  and  write  correct  English ; 

(2)  that  a  study  of  derivations  is  the  best  way  of  learning  what  words  mean ; 

(3)  that  a  correct  and  fiuent  style  of  speech  is  the  result  of  possessing 
much  organized  wisdom  on  the  subject  of  sentence  structure  and  style; 

(4)  that  an  ability  to  classify  figures  of  speech  gives  its  possessor  a  peculiar 
power  to  appreciate  such  figures;  (5)  that  the  study  of  an  author's  life 
is  a  necessary  prerequisite  to  one  who  wishes  to  understand  what  the  author 
has  written;  (6)  that  a  knowledge  of  good  literature  is  the  surest  way 
to  moral  living.  Thus  each  new  cul-de-sac  in  our  present  school  course  in 
English  has  been  labeled  a  gateway  to  something  worth  having;  while  the 
whole  course  has  been  advertised  as  a  means  to  a  useful  and  happy  life. 
The  authors  of  these  fictions  and  their  present  disciples  have  not  observed 
that  the  fictions  were  merely  fictions ;  that  they  had  adopted  and  modified 
a  theory  that  Latin  had  proved  unsound ;  that  the  given  means  consistently 
failed  to  produce  the  promised  results;  that  they  were  confusing  the 
education  of  a  specialist  in  English  with  the  education  in  English  that  might 
be  of  value  to  a  nation ;  that  the  theory  of  their  fictions  was  founded  on  a. 
psychology  long  since  threadbare  and  outworn. 

With  the  scholar  as  a  scholar  no  one  has  any  fault  to  find.  As  a  research 
man  and  more  especially  as  one  who  may  apply  new-found  knowledge 
to  useful  ends  he  is  an  important  element  in  our  civilization.  But  when  he 
sets  the  abstract  standards  of  his  scholarship  as  the  basis  for  organizing- 
the  content  and  methods  of  grammar  school  work  in  literature  it  is  time 
for  us  to  stop  and  ask  him  just  what  that  work  will  be  worth  to  the  children 
who  are  not  going  to  be  specialists  in  the  field  of  English.  And  the  time 
has  passed  when  fictions  of  pedagogy  will  be  accepted  as  answers. 

INFLUENCE  OF  BOOK-MAKING  ON  CONTENT  AND  METHOD. 

A  third  influence  has  arisen  to  perpetuate  the  traditional  method  and 
content  of  our  school  work  in  literature.  The  literature  text-maker  and  the 
text-publisher  know  that  the  classics  of  our  language  can  not  be  subjected 
to  copyright  control.  Improvements,  therefore,  are  introduced  in  the  form 
of  introductions,  biographical  sketches,  foot-notes,  glossaries,  indexes,  ap- 
pendixes, and  all  the  other  attributes  of  the  present  day  texts.  Upon  the 
publication  thus  adorned  a  propriety  right  and  a  propriety  profit  may  be 
maintained.  Error  has  thus  been  capitalized  and  made  to  pay  dividends  to 
the  book-maker. 

(20) 


The  answer  to  the  question,  how  did  the  curious  present-day  methods  in 
literature  come  into  such  common  use,  has  only  been  roughly  outlined  in 
the  above.  A  fuller  answer  would  take  us  too  far  from  the  scope  of  this 
work.  But  the  opportunity  for  inquiry  is  a  tempting  one ;  the  field  is  rich 
with  diverting  situations.  Into  it  some  satirist  may  yet  be  tempted  to  enter, 
to  the  inextinguishable  merriment  of  future  generations. 

HOW  MAY  LITERARY  APPRECIATION  BE  SECURED  ? 

Our  energies  should  be  directly  concerned  with  the  more  practical  and 
desperate  problem:  What  can  we  do  to  make  the  method  of  the  grammar 
school  course  in  literature  one  that  will  yield  to  the  children  the  intrinsic 
Talues  of  its  content?  The  answer  is  not  far  to  seek:  We  should  keep 
those  intrinsic  values  constantly  before  our  eyes  and  should  shape  our 
method  with  singleness  of  effort  for  their  attainment.  We  should  remember 
that  the  work  is  to  lead  the  children  to  understand  and  enjoy  the  literature 
that  their  race  has  understood  and  enjoyed.  We  must  keep  this*  high  aim 
clear  from  cross  purposes  and  other  ends  by  recognizing  that  the  method 
in  the  course  of  study  should  strike  straight  toward  it  as  a  definite,  specific 
result. 

THE   TEACHER  AS   STORY-TELLER. 

To  be  more  precise,  the  child  must  be  introduced  to  the  story  in  such 
a  way  that  it  claims  his  appreciations.  First,  then,  the  story  should  be 
told  to  Mm  by  the  teacher.  Through  her  telling,  its  situations  may  be  made 
clear.  Many  of  the  stories,  indeed,  have  no  standard  masterpiece  form 
suitable  for  presentation.  The  stories  of  Hercules,  The  Trojan  War, 
Marathon  and  Thermopylae,  William  Tell,  Alfred  the  Great,  Joan  of  Arc, 
and  Damon  and  P>i:hias  are  examples  of  this  class.  The  teacher  should 
have  access  to  reading  sufficient  to  saturate  herself  with  the  spirit  and 
meaning  of  each.  She  should  see  just  what  situations  are  adapted  to  arouse 
class  appreciations.  She  should  know  in  advance  what  emotional  responses 
lier  class  work  should  create.  And  then,  the  preparation  being  adequate, 
she  should  tell  the  story  to  the  class  for  all  that  it  is  worth.  The  same 
method  should  be  used  in  most  cases  in  presenting  a  poem  or  a  story  that 
has  been  done  into  masterpiece  form  by  some  author.  In  the  case  of  such 
selections  as  IvanJioe,  Evangeline,  and  Hiawatha  the  teacher  will  find  this 
story-telling  to  be  the  surest  avenue  to  the  interests  and  awakening  tastes 
of  the  children.  In  other  instances,  such  as  Eip  Van  Winkle  and  Snow- 
hound,  the  teacher  should  merely  introduce  the  selection  with  a  general 
introduction  as  to  its  content  and  nature,  put  in  such  a  way  as  to  arouse 
anticipatory  interest.  Some  poems  and  prose  selections  should,  of  course, 
"be  placed  before  the  children  in  text  form,  generally,  as  has  been  observed, 
after  the  content  has  been  well  presented  by  the  teacher.  Through  this  a 
new  charm  will  be  thrown  over  the  content,  new  lights  and  shades  of  mean- 
ing will  be  brought  out,  and  the  pupil  will  learn  to  appreciate  the  subtle 
flavors  that  are  found  in  a  good  story  well  written. 

It  may  well  be  observed  at  this  point  that  there  is  no  one  way  by  which 

(21) 


all  school  literature  should  be  taken  up.  Each  story  has  its  own  details  of 
method  and  there  are  several  distinct  lines  of  more  general  procedure. 
The  treatment  of  selections  included  in  this  bulletin  has  been,  therefore^ 
an  application  of  such  method  to  each  as  its  nature  demands,  and  such 
as  classroom  results  have  shown  to  be  most  effective. 

THE   TEACHER  AS   INTERPRETER. 

This  is  the  fundamental  idea  of  all  the  various  methods  that  have  been 
found  effective :  the  teacher  should  be  the  interpreter,  the  medium  through 
which  the  spirit  of  the  story  reaches  the  class.  She  should  use  the  text, 
supplementary  pictures,  chalk  and  blackboard,  and  all  the  accesories  that 
may  help  her  in  the  work.  But  the  accessories  must  keep  to  their  proper 
place ;  they  must  always  be  recognized  as  means  and  not  as  ends  in  the  work 
of  interpreting  a  good  story. 

Two  general  objections  have  been  urged  against  this  practice.  One 
objection  "is  to  the  effect  that  the  average  teacher  can  not  tell  a  story.  The 
other  is  that  no  teacher  can  tell  a  story  as  well  as  the  author  of  a  masterpiece 
has  told  it.  Both  charges  at  first  sight  may  seem  to  be  correct,  but  neither 
when  subjected  to  analysis  is  found  to  contain  truth  pertinent  to  the 
issue.  Power  in  story-telling  is  a  natural  attribute  existing  in  varying 
degrees  in  all  of  us.  To  be  sure,  false  practices  will  inhibit  its  expression 
and  may  in  time  cause  it  to  atrophy.  The  teacher  who  has  spent  twenty 
years  conducting  books-closed  quizzes  may  have  some  difficulty  in  calling 
up  an  expression  of  her  neglected  power  of  story-telling.  But  even  in  her 
case  it  can  generally  be  done  with  some  effort. 

In  the  case  of  the  teacher  who  has  maintained  the  strength  of  her 
instinctive  story-telling  impulse  by  using  it,  as  well  as  in  the  case  of  the 
y,oung  teacher  who  has  not  destroyed  this  aspect  of  her  human  nature  by 
false  practices,  there  is  no  danger  of  failure  in  the  work. 

But  how,,  it  is  asked,  can  even  a  reasonably  good  story-teller  present  the 
selection  in  as  effective  a  form  as  the  great  poet  or  story-writer?  The 
answer  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  the  teacher  is  dealing  with  children 
whose  appreciation  of  belles-lettres  has  not  begun  to  grow.  The  merest 
amateur  can  tell  the  story  of  Macbeth  to  an  eighth  grade  class  so  as  to 
arouse  a  far  deeper  appreciation  of  the  tragedy  than  would  be  awakened  if 
the  immortal  text  itself  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  pupils.  She  will 
be  able  to  make  any  of  the  ^sop's  Fables  many  fold  as  effective  in  the 
primary  school  than  the  brief,  pithy  text  can  make  it.  She  can  give  to 
twelve-  and  fourteen-year-old  children  a  keener  insight  into  the  motives, 
issues,  and  situations  of  the  Trojan  War  than  the  best  translator  of  Homer 
could  possibly  convey.  And  in  all  such  cases  she  will  really  be  leading  up 
to  and  paving  the  way  for  the  later  adult  appreciations  through  which 
our  world-known  masterpieces  will  be  opened  to  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
the  children  as  they  develop.  It  is  true  that  to  the  adult  whose  tastes  have 
been  developed  by  long  and  friendly  touch  with  good  books  the  story-teller 
must  give  place  to  the  story-writer  and  the  poet.  But  to  say  that  this  is 
true  in  the  case  of  grammar  school  children  is  to  assume  that  they  are 

(22) 


already  equipped  with  full-fledged  power  of  literary  appreciation.  This 
is  no  less  than  to  say  that  the  children  already  have  that  which  we  are 
bending  our  energies  to  give  them,  and  which  under  present  conditions  we 
have  been  unable  to  give  them  in  eight  years  of  school  work.  No  child 
springs  at  once  or  by  inspiration  into  a  love  for  books.  It  is,  therefore,  the 
purpose  of  the  teacher  as  a  story-teller  to  start  him  right  in  his  develop- 
ment ;  to  give  him  the  heart  of  the  story  or  the  poem,  to  make  its  great 
characters  and  situations  live  in  his  imagination ;  to  break  down  the  barrier 
set  by  the  form  of  the  masterpiece;  and  thus  to  put  him  in  the  way 
whereby  he  may  attain  at  length  to  the  new  values  and  richer  flavors  which 
the  masterpiece  may  hold. 

PRESENTATION  OF  THE  TEXT. 

In  cases  where  the  masterpiece  is  Jot  such  a  character  as  to  warrant  its 
presentation  to  the  class  in  text  form  this  should  be  done  after  the  content 
has  been  fully  and  graphically  presented  by  the  teacher,  or,  in  some  cases, 
after  a  brief  introductory  explanation  of  its  purport  has  been  made.  The 
text  should  then  be  read  by  the  teacher  to  the  class,  not  by  pupils  in  rotation. 
This  gives  the  author  a  decent  chance  to  have  his  message  delivered.  It 
is  absolutely  essential  if  appreciation  of  the  beauty  and  force  of  the 
selection  is  to  be  brought  home  to  the  children.  As  this  point  has  been 
touched  upon  in  discussing  the  state  of  our  present  method,  it  need  not 
be  amplified  here.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  omission  of  class  oral 
reading  in  literature  need  not  mean  the  omission  of  any  part  of  the 
necessary  oral  reading  work  of  the  pupils.  It  does  mean  that  the  teaching 
of  oral  reading  can  not  be  well  done  or  even  attempted  during  the  literature 
hour  without  defeating  the  ends  for  whose  attainment  the  hour  was 
presumably  devoted.  Teach  oral  reading  as  much  as  you  please  and  to 
the  attainment  of  such  proficiency  as  may  be  desired.  But  don't  try  to 
teach  it  while  your  principal  aim  is  to  touch  the  hearts  of  children  by 
opening  them  to  the  emotional  call  of  some  rare  old  story. 

CLASS  ACTIVITY   IN   LITERATURE. 

The  pupils  should  follow  the  teacher's  reading  with  their  texts,  in  cases 
where  they  are  to  be  supplied  with  texts.  Thus  they  are  brought  into 
direct  touch  with  the  form  of  the  masterpieces  so  considered.  But  neither 
at  this  stage  of  the  presentation  nor  in  the  earlier  stage  of  the  narration 
by  the  teacher  should  they  be  inactive.  In  every  turn  of  the  story,  in  almost 
every  sentence  of  the  text,  lies  an  opportunity  for  a  stimulating  question, 
and  a  quickening  answer  from  the  class.  Discussions  of  motives,  conclusions 
as  to  probable  results,  expression  of  hopes  and  feelings,  shrewd  forecasting 
of  the  next  step,  answers  to  semi-rhetorical  questions, — all  these  and  a  score 
of  other  opportunities  will  be  ready  at  the  teacher's  hand  and  will  serve 
to  keep  at  white  heat  the  interest  of  the  class.  It  should  be  remembered 
that  a  passive  class  is  emotionally  and  mentally  an  unproductive  class 
when  compared  with  a  group  of  children  whose  hands  flash  into  the  air 
and  whose  bodies  are  ever  ready  to  start  from  their  seats. 

(23) 


By  means  of  this  cooperative  class  activity  the  teacher  will  attain  several 
results  that  should  be  present  if  the  best  work  is  to  be  done : 

(1)  A  marked  degree  of  mental  alertness  will  accompany  the  progress  of 
the  work. 

(2)  The  emotional  reactions  of  the  children  will  be  made  deeper  and 
more  intense. 

(3)  It  will  be  impossible  unconsciously  to  fail  to  make  some  point  clear 
or  to  dwell  too  long  upon  other  points. 

(4)  It  will  mean  not  only  a  richer  but  a  more  lasting  appreciation  of 
the  selection  by  the  class. 

(5)  It  will  afford  a  perfect  measure  of  just  what  the  class  is  really  getting 
from  the  work. 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  this  class  activity  is  to  be  a  product  of  the 
formal  books-closed  quiz  method.  It  should  never  be  a  bar  to  the  progress 
of  the  interpretations  or  take  the  form  of  a  check  to  the  unfolding  meaning 
of  the  selection.  It  should  lead  on  to  new  points,  quicken  new  feelings, 
establish  new  associations,  arouse  fresh  and  constructive  ideas.  In  this 
phase  of  the  work  the  highest  usefulness  of  the  teacher  as  interpreter  and 
inspirer  of  interpretation  will  be  found.  Through  it  the  power  of  a  great 
and  fascinating  art  may  be  developed  by  her  and  given  expression. 

MEMORY  WORK   IN   LITERATURE. 

Nothing  should  be  prescribed  for  memorization  before  the  beauty  of  its 
expression  has  made  a  successful  appeal  to  the  hearts  of  the  pupils.  It 
will  be  found,  naturally  enough  if  the  work  is  well  done,  that  the  class  will 
appreciate  most  keenly  the  fragments  and  selections  that  have  won  their 
way  into  the  memories  of  the  rest  of  mankind.  Expression  of  this  special 
appreciation  should  be  induced  (never  compelled)  from  time  to  time  and 
especially  when  the  selection  is  finished.  Memorization  may  then  be 
asked  of  those  parts  receiving  general  class  consent  as  worth  remembering, 
and  the  process  will  then  have  become  an  almost  involuntary  reaction  of 
the  beauty  of  the  lines. 

LITERARY   KNOWLEDGE   AND   THE   CUMULATIVE   REVIEW. 

It  is  no  secret  that  the  graduates  of  many  of  our  literature  classes  are 
almost  as  deficient  in  their  knowledge  of  commonly  current  literary  fact 
as  they  are  free  from  true  literary  appreciation.  Graduates  of  our  schools 
do  not  know  who  wrote  Ivanhoe  or  when  that  hero  lived  or  what  a  knight 
was.  They  have  forgotten  that  Evangeline  came  from  Acadia  and  that 
Horatius  was  a  Eoman  and  lived  a  long  time  ago.  They  do  not  remember 
that  Snow-hoimd  was  written  of  life  on  a  New  England  farm.  They  get 
the  story  of  Damon  and  Pythias  mixed  up  with  the  story  of  the  sword  of 
Damocles, — if,  haply,  they  know  anything  about  either.  Nor  may  we 
ever  be  sure  of  permanent  accuracy  on  these  and  a  host  of  similar  staple 
literary  facts  by  one  presentation  of  the  stories  and  selections  involving 
them,  no  matter  how  skillfully  that  presentation  may  be  made.    Something 

(24) 


special  should  be  done,  therefore,  to  insure  the  permanence  in  the  pupil's 
memory  of  such  literary  knowledge  as  will  prove  of  value  to  him. 

This  may  be  done  in  the  following  manner:  When  all  the  work  of 
interpreting  a  selection  has  been  completed  the  teacher  should  hold  a  brisk 
review  of  the  various  scraps  of  knowledge  concerning  it  which  are  worth 
holding  in  mind.  These  should  be  brought  up  for  further  review  at  the 
beginning  of  each  period  in  literature,  and  to  them  should  be  added  the 
facts  selected  as  worth  retaining  in  mind  when  each  successive  selection 
is  finished.  The  review  thus  becomes  cumulative  and  systematic,  and  the 
literary  knowledge  that  it  wishes  to  make  hard  and  fast  in  the  pupil's 
memory  is  thus  conserved. 

For  two  reasons  a  special  portion  of  each  period  should  be  formally  given 
over  to  this  work.  First,  so  as  to  insure  its  being  systematically  done ;  for 
without  system  the  idea  will  come  to  naught.  Second,  so  as  to  set  this 
work  of  reviewing  and  fixing  the  facts  worth  permanent  memorization  as 
far  from  the  regular  method  in  literature  as  possible.  The  teacher  should 
keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  the  cumulative  review  work  and  its  method 
should  have  no  part  in  the  presentation  and  interpretation  of  the  selection ; 
that  it  is  not  a  method  of  teaching  literature,  but  merely  a  very  formal 
device  for  tacking  down  for  permanent  possession  a  few  facts  which  have 
already  been  presented  and  illuminated  in  the  regular  work  of  the  literature 
hour. 

Each  of  the  selections  treated  in  this  bulletin  is  followed  by  a  list  of 
such  literary  facts  involved  in  it  as  should  be  wrapped  up  in  the  cumula- 
tive review.  The  cumulative  review  questions  of  the  first  selection  must 
not  be  dropped  as  the  content  of  the  review  grows.  They  should  come 
up  regularly  for  recall  until  the  whole  course  is  finished.  This  will  keep 
the  review  work  truly  cumulative  and  will  insure  its  efficiency  in  establish- 
ing in  the  pupil's  mind  a  useful  and  permanent  fund  of  literary  facts. 
Five  minutes  at  the  beginning  of  each  period  of  literature  work  will  be 
adequate  time  for  holding  the  review  drill  in  the  case  of  classes  which  have 
had  only  a  few  selections  to  contribute  facts  to  their  reviews. 

A  PRACTICABLE,  NOT  AN  IDEAL  COURSE. 

The  selections  whose  treatment  has  been  outlined  in  the  following  pages 
are  not  presented  as  an  ideal  course  of  study  in  literature.  Some  of  them 
should  not  be  in  the  grammar  school  at  all,  and  at  least  twenty  other 
selections  equal  in  value  to  the  best  among  them  should  be  taken  up  with 
similar  thoroughness  if  the  course  is  to  be  all  that  it  should  be.  The  aim  of 
the  following  work  has  been  rather  to  formulate  the  nucleus  of  a  course 
out  of  materials  now  in  use  which  will  yield  substantial  even  if  not  ideal 
values. 

WHICH     SHALL    IT    BE? 

The  selections  chosen  are  not  new  in  our  grammar  schools.  All  of  them 
have  been  widely  used  for  yeats.  In  some  schools  they  have  been  painful 
ordeals  through  which  dull-ej'ed  classes  have  been  goaded.     In  such  schools 

(25) 


the  teacher's  work  has  been  drudgery  and  her  lot  a  bitter  one.  To  her 
there  has  not  come  the  joy  of  seeing  the  emotional  life  of  her  pupils  unfold 
under  the  influence  of  the  work.  She  has  never  entered  with  them  into 
the  rich  land  of  promise  that  lies  so  near  at  hand. 

In  other  schools  and  under  wise  courses  of  study  these  selections  have 
yielded  values  that  will  always  live  in  the  awakened  hearts  of  the  children. 
In  such  schools  the  teacher's  work  has  been  a  delight  and  a  blessing,  and 
this  not  only  to  the  class  but  to  herself.  To  her  has  come  the  teacher's 
reward;  for  she  has  seen  the  lives  of  her  pupils  enriched  and  knows  that 
she  had  a  share  in  it.  In  her  literature  class  have  been  no  dull  eyes.  No 
dreary  hours  profitless  and  without  hope  of  profit  have  been  endured. 
Instead,  she  has  led  her  children  into  a  noble  company  where  they  have  met 
the  best  that  men  have  done  and  thought  and  felt.  It  is  with  the  hope  that 
this  may  be  more  commonly  and  more  abundantly  realized,— to  the  end  that 
our  boys  and  girls  may  more  fully  share  the  rich  literary  inheritance  that 
has  been  prepared  for  them,— that  this  bulletin  has  been  set  in  order. 


(1N5) 


HORATIU5  AT  THL  BRIDGL. 


General  Remarks  and  Sug-g-estions. 

This  story  deserves  a  place  in  the  grammar  grade  course  in  literature  for 
the  following  reasons : 

1.  It  is  known  by  all  commonly  well  educated  people. 

2.  It  goes  far  toward  giving  useful  ideas  concerning  old  Roman  ideals 
of  conduct  and  the  times  in  which  they  flourished. 

3.  It  is  constantly  referred  to  by  Way  of  allusion  and  stock  figures  of 
speech. 

4.  It  is  a  stimulus  arousing  a  number  of  desirable  emotions.  Among 
these  may  be  instanced:  admiration  of  Horatius  for  his  willingness  to 
sacrifice  home  and  safety  and  even  life  if  necessary  for  the  safety  of  his 
city;  admiration  for  the  loyalty  of  the  hero  to  his  daily  duty,  the  task  of 
keeping  the  bridge;  a  desire  to  see  every  one  love  the  state  as  Horatius 
did ;  a  feeling  that  service  rendered  to  the  state  makes  for  true  worth  and 
leads  to  true  fame. 

5.  Its  situations  are  simple  and  intensely  dramatic  and  so  are  especially 
adapted  to  the  appreciations  of  children. 

6.  Children  may  be  led  easily  and  naturally  to  assume  the  emotional 
attitudes  called  forth  by  those  situations.  Loyalty  to  home  and  city,  hatred 
of  cowards,  admiration  for  physical  bravery  in  the  fight  and  in  the  feat  of 
strength  and  skill,  exultation  in  the  triumph  of  one  patriot  over  many 
enemies,— these  primitive  reactions  are  strong  and  early  active  in  every  one 
and  their  experience  comes  unforced  to  boys  and  girls  who  hear  the  story 
well  presented. 

7.  There  is  nothing  so  fit  as  a  ringing,  swinging  ballad  to  lead  boys  and 
girls  into  an  enjoyment  of  poetic  forms,  and  no  form  of  poetry  so  easy  for 
the  teacher  to  read  with  feeling.  Long  ago  the  race  first  rose  to  an  appre- 
ciation of  poetry  by  the  lilt  and  cadence  and  sturdy  pulse  of  the  ballad 
melody,  and  experience  proves  the  same  process  a  most  natural  one  in 
developing  the  appreciations  of  children. 

Preparation  and  Presentation. 

The  story  of  Horatius  should  be   preceded  by  the  following  legends: 
Romulus  and  Remus;  The  Tarquins  and  their  expulsion  from  Rome;  The 
Judgment  of  the  Consul  Brutus. 
References  to  the  above : 

Guerber:  Story  of  the  Romans;  pp.  22-27;  58-81. 
Haaren  and  Poland :  Famous  Men  of  Rome;  pp.  9-63. 
Plutarch's  Lives:  Romulus. 

(27) 


First,  tell  the  story  of  Romulus  and  Remus:  how  they  were  exposed  to 
die ;  how  they  were  saved  by  the  wolf ;  how  they  grew  up  as  sturdy  moun- 
tain shepherds;   and  how,  finally,  they  founded  the  city  of  Rome. 

Then  a  word  should  be  said  of  the  Tarquin  kings:  how  they  ruled  in 
Rome  until  the  people  arose  and  drove  them  out  because  of  their  tyranny. 

Next,  sketch  the  story  of  the  Consul  Brutus :  how  he  was  the  first  magis- 
trate chosen  by  the  people  to  rule  and  protect  them  after  the  Tarquins  were 
driven  out ;  how  his  two  sons,  dearly  loved  by  their  father,  became  traitors 
to  their  city  and  plotted  to  let  the  Tarquins  and  their  forces  in;  how  the 
plot  was  discovered  and  the  two  young  traitors  brought  to  trial;  and  how 
the  stern  old  Roman  father  as  judge  set  aside  his  love  for  his  boys  because 
of  his  love  for  the  state  and  condemned  them  to  death.  This  in  itself  is  a 
tale  well  worth  the  time  of  a  full  lesson,  for  it  has  taken  a  place  in  the 
staple  culture  of  our  time.  But  beyond  that  by  far  is  its  educational  worth 
in  bringing  the  class  to  feel  the  full  force  of  Brutus 's  high  devotion  to 
state.  The  decision  that  he  made  every  one  must  make  in  some  degree; 
and  the  standards  of  life  to-day  demand,  as  they  did  in  the  day  of  Brutus, 
that  the  common  welfare  shall  be  held  more  sacred  than  family  and  per- 
sonal interests.  If  the  teacher  can  draw  the  old  Roman  holding  court 
seated  in  his  high  seat,  surrounded  with  lictors  and  guards;  if  she  can 
show  what  passed  through  his  mind  as  his  two  boys  were  dragged  before  him, 
surrounded  by  witnesses  who  proved  them  to  be  the  deadly  enemies  of  the 
city  and  the  welfare  of  all  its  citizens;  how  he  thought,  first  of  their  child- 
hood and  training  and  of  his  plans  for  them,  and  then  thought  of  the  hard- 
won  freedom  of  the  city  and  the  laws  that  were  made  to  preserve  it;— if  the 
teacher  can  make  the  scene  real,  even  down  to  the  flagstones,  the  axes  of  the 
lictors,  the  appeals  for  mercy  from  all  sides,  and  finally  the  grim  lines  on 
the  consul's  face  as  he  thought  of  the  fate  of  his  state  hanging  in  the  bal- 
ance;—if  this  can  be  done,  and  done  properly,  the  judgment  may  well  be 
left  to  the  class.  Put  the  class  in  Brutus 's  place  and  let  them  return  the 
verdict  under  the  guidance  of  questions  and  illustration.  This  story  will 
then  have  been  no  mere  tale,  but  a  personal  experience  with  them,  and  they 
will  have  taken  the  emotional  attitude  that  civilized  society  demands  of 
them. 

The  legends  of  Romulus  and  Remus,  the  Tarquins  and  their  expulsion, 
and  the  judgment  of  Brutus,  should  take  up  two  full  l^son  units.  They 
are  worth  telling  for  their  own  sake  and  at  the  same  time  they  lay  the 
scene,  give  the  cue,  and  strengthen  the  motives  for  the  action  that  follows,— 
the  story  of  Horatius  at  the  Bridge. 

In  presenting^ the  story  of  Horatius  the  preceding  events  should  be 
brought  down  to  the  opening  action  of  the  poem  in  which  Porsena  plans  to 
restore  the  Tarquins  to  power. 

Then  the  teacher  should  tell  the  story,  closely  following  but  not  referring 
to  or  reading  from  the  ballad. 

The  following  situations  should  be  emphasized : 

1.  The  plans  of  Porsena :  Here  should  be  drawn  the  anger  of  that  prince 
over  the  fate  of  the  Tarquins,  the  summoning  of  his  forces,  and  the  favora^ 

(28) 


ble  predictions  of  his  prophets.  It  Avill  not  do  to  tell  this  or  any  part  of 
the  story  in  a  dull  or  slipshod  way.  Porsena  should  be  set  out  as  a  brave 
prince,  ruler  of  a  rich  land,  and  friend  of  the  Tarquins.  This  friendship 
and  the  danger  he  felt  from  his  southern  rival,  Rome,  are  ample  motives  for 
his  resolution.  The  gathering  of  the  forces  should  not  be  blown  over  in  a 
sentence,  such  as,  ' '  And  so  he  ordered  all  his  lords,  and  friends,  and  soldiers 
to  meet  together  on  a  day."  Such  a  statement  means  to  the  class  a  scant 
tithe  of  what  is  meant  by  a  spirited  description  of  how  the  messenger  was 
summoned,  given  his  orders  (in  direct  discourse),  and  rode  forth  to  watch- 
tower  and  stronghold,  mountain  village  and  valley  farms, — and  of  how 
lords  and  soldiers,  tradesmen  and  farmers,  dropped  their  work,  seized  their 
arms,  and  hurried  to  the  great  camp  outside  of  Clusium. 

Neither  should  the  favorable  prophecy  of  the  prophets  be  dismissed 
with  a  mere  feeble  mention.  Make  it  a  picture  :  Porsena  in  his  royal  robes, 
attended  by  brave  lords  from  all  over  the  country,  sits  in  the  council  hall  to 
hear  the  word  that  means  so  much  to  him  as  it  is  pronounced  by  the  thirty 
wise  old  men.  Describe  the  ancient  prophets  as  your  mind  sees  them,  per- 
haps in  black  robes,  each  carrying  a  sacred  scroll  covered  with  strange 
characters.  While  the  details  suggested  here  are  probably  of  as  little 
importance  as  any  involved  in  the  remaining  situations  of  the  story,  they 
have  been  set  forth  to  illustrate  this  point,— a  flat,  bald,  diluted  statement 
of  a  situation  will  never  suffice.  Each  must  be  detailed  and  exploited 
in  proportion  to  its  significance  in  the  story.  Much  must  be  left  to  the 
teacher  in  this,  both  because  of  the  limitations  of  space  and  because  no  two 
imaginations  construct  scenes  in  just  the  same  way. 

2.  The  fear  at  Rome  and  the  flight  of  the  country  people  into  the  city  r 
Take  the  details  as  given  in  the  poem  and  put  especial  spirit  into  the  vivid 
scene  of  the  refugees  pouring  in  through  the  city  gate. 

3.  The  terrifying  advance  of  the  Tuscan  host :  ' '  The  line  of  burning 
villages";— "Every  hour  some  horseman  came  with  tidings  of  dismay";— 
"Nor  house  nor  fence  nor  dovecote";— "Astur  hath  stormed  Janicu- 
lum";— "The  bridge  must  straight  go  down";— each  of  these  is  the  cue 
for  a  mental  picture,  and  each  should  be  explained  to  the  extent  of  its 
meaning.  Through  the  vivid  presentation  of  crisp  details  and  with  the  help 
of  other  details  suggested  by  the  poem  and  by  imagination  each  pupil 
becomes  in  fancy  an  eyewitness  of  the  terror  of  the  Romans  and  the  destruc- 
tion wrought  by  the  Tuscans. 

Here  should  be  introduced  a  chart  or  map  showing  the  city  walls,  the 
river,  the  bridge  with  a  narrow  pass  at  its  farther  end,  Janiculum  the 
fortress  outpost  beyond  the  river,  the  coast  line,  and  Clusium.  It  should 
be  drawn  as  the  teacher  talks,  each  place  revealing  itself  on  the  map  when 
referred  to  in  the  story  and  hence  when  under  the  stress  of  immediate 
importance. 

4.  How  Horatius  and  his  two  companions  stepped  forth  to  hold  the 
bridge:  The  teacher  should  be  constantly  on  the  watch  to  keep  the  class 
in  the  telling  by  suggestion  and  discussion,  and  here  is  an  excellent  occa- 
sion for  vigorous  class  activity. 

(29) 


First  when  it  is  seen  that  the  Tuscans  will  be  over  the  bridge  before  it 
can  be  torn  down,  the  question  arises,  ' '  What  was  to  be  done  ?  How  could 
the  city  be  saved?"  Perhaps  no  one  will  see  the  correct  answer;  but  each 
will  have  some  plan  or  otlier,  or  at  least  something  to  say  about  the  hope- 
lessness of  all  plans. 

Then  when  Horatius  offers  to  solve  the  desperate  problem,  we  have  the 
natural  questions,  ' '  Why  did  he  wish  to  take  such  a  risk  ? "  "  What  would 
probably  happen  to  him?"  ''What  would  be  the  loss  if  he  Avere  killed?" 
(His  own  life  and  the  happiness  of  his  wife  and  child.)  "What  could  be 
gained  by  his  act?"  Don't  leave  out  the  detail  that  he  was  the  regular 
keeper  of  the  gate,  whose  duty  it  was  to  guard  it  well.  Here  is  one  of  the 
mere  handful  of  great  devotions  to  public  duty  that  the  race  has  produced 
and  clung  to  in  memor^^,  and  the  value  of  the  story  will  largely  depend  upon 
its  dramatic  presentation  and  upon  the  class  making  the  choice,  standing 
the  test,  with  Horatius.  When  he  asks  who  will  stand  with  him  at  the 
bridge's  head,  let  the  class  see  the  full  meaning  of  his  appeal, — death  and 
service  to  the  state  on  one  hand,  safety  and  selfish  prudence  on  the  other. 
And  then  let  them  say  whether  or  not  volunteers  would  be  found  for  the 
work,  and  what  sort  of  men  such  volunteers  would  be  if,  peradventure, 
some  were  to  be  found. 

5.  How  the  dauntless  three  held  back  the  host:  The  teacher  should 
follow  the  stirring  account  in  the  poem  in  each  of  the  several  duels  to  be 
described.  When  Sextus  appears  and  plans  to  attack,  the  teacher  should 
tell  what  needs  to  be  known  about  him :  that  he  was  a  son  of  Tarquin,  cruel 
and  selfish;  that  he  had  been  before  his  expulsion  from  the  city  the  cause 
of  the  death  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  most  respected  women  of 
Rome;  and  that  the  Romans  hated  him  more  than  any  other  in  the  host. 
His  conduct  throughout  should  be  shown  as  that  of  a  cowardly,  cruel 
wretch,  willing  to  bring  about  no  end  of  suffering  for  his  own  advancement. 

6.  Horatius  left  alone:  This  situation  is  heightened  by  the  explanation 
that  the  hero  was  not  thinking  of  the  pulling  down  of  the  bridge  and  of  the 
ending  of  his  own  danger,  but  onlj'  of  the  duty  that  lay  before  him. 
Bring  out  without  fail  the  vain  desire  of  Herminius  and  Lartius  to  recross 
the  river  again  to  help  him  in  his  need. 

7.  The  safe  return  of  Horatius  and  the  joy  of  the  people:  What  was 
he  to  do  when  left  alone  before  the  enemy?  This  is  the  question  that 
brings  to  its  climax  the  situation  of  Horatius  alone  before  the  army  of 
Porsena  with  a  raging  river  behind  him.  Let  the  class  answer  it.  Why 
not  surrender?  Why  not  destroy  himself?  Why  not  stand  and  fight  it 
out?  His  bold  resolution  to  swim  back  to  safety  and  the  details  of  its 
execution  may  well  be  based  on  a  liberal  paraphrase  of  the  poem.  Of 
course  he  bore  back  his  armor,  for  to  a  Roman  no  disgrace  was  keener 
than  to  lose  sword  and  shield  to  the  enemy.  (Why?)  Here  Lars  Porsena 
is  seen  as  a  thorough  sportsman  and  a  great-hearted  enemy.  Ask  the 
class  how  Lars  Porsena  felt  when  he  saw  the  bridge  fall.  Then  develop, 
by  questions,  the  generous  admiration  he  felt  for  Horatius  struggling  with 
the  flood  for  his  life. 

(30) 


The  joy  of  the  people  and  the  rewards  heaped  upon  Horatius  conclude 
the  story.  Most  of  all  bring  out  the  fact  that  a  fair  name  was  not  the 
least  of  the  rewards :  that  his  name  stood  as  a  motto  and  as  a  moral  to  his 
nation. 

When  through  telling  the  story  stir  up  class  interest  in  the  questions : 

1.  How  do  you  like  the  story?    Why? 

2.  What  sort  of  people  were  the  Romans?    How  do  you  know? 

3.  What  was  the  bravest  act  in  the  whole  story  ?  (It  makes  little  difference 
whether  the  resolution  of  Horatius  or  some  lesser  deed  is  decided  upon. 
The  point  desired  is  to  strengthen  the  admiration  of  the  class  for  sound 
conduct  by  getting  an  expression  in  its  favor.) 

4.  Why  did  Horatius  take  such  a  desperate  chance  ?  If  the  tale  is  well 
told  there  will  be  no  need  to  do  more  than  to  throw  out  suggestions  and 
hints  in  order  to  keep  the  class  keenly  alive  through  the  telling  and  in 
the  discussion  of  interest  points  afterwards. 

This  telling  of  the  story  will  take  two  lesson  units.  At  its  conclusion  the 
class  will  be  interested  in  its  train  of  events.  Then  is  the  time  to  introduce 
them  to  the  poem  in  which  the  story  becomes  thrice  stirring. 

There  seems  to  be  a  common  notion  that  children  hate  to  hear  a  story 
twice  and  that  to  tell  a  tale  first  and  then  give  it  to  the  youngsters  in 
poetic  form  would  be  to  kill  all  interest  and  to  incite  the  class  to  rebellion. 
With  some  stories  this  is  true;  like  shallow  wells  they  are  easily  sucked 
dry:  Such  stories  come  and  go  at  each  groan  of  the  printing  press,  and  no 
one  is  much  the  better  or  worse  for  them.  But  the  stories  that  last  ana 
that  hold  fast  root  in  the  deepest  emotions  of  the  race,  yield  their  charm 
not  once  but  many  times  to  our  affections ;  and  like  good  music  grow  better 
and  richer  with  each  repetition.  Besides,  it  is  more  than  possible  that 
children  who  have  been  stuffed  on  the  husks  of  literary  forms  and  the 
analytical  siftings  of  English  critics;  who  know  definitions  for  seven  kinds 
of  figures  of  speech;  who  can  classify  fourteen  kinds  of  versification; 
who  know  the  age  at  which  Macaulay  read  Latin,  and  who  have  worn  their 
books  to  limp  tatterdom  in  the  home-study  hunt  for  allusions, — it  is  more 
than  possible  that  such  children  will  be  glad  to  turn  from  this  blood-drying 
work,  even  at  the  cost  of  hearing  a  good  story  twice.  It  is  not  only  more 
than  possible,  it  is  a  positive  certainty.  Not  only  will  they  be  glad  to  hear 
it  twice,  but  even  twentj^  times  at  proper  intervals,  if  it  be  a  story  of  the 
first  water.  And  such  a  one  certainly  is  the  story  of  Horatius.  It  is  not 
a  hothouse  story,  raised  and  sheltered  from  the  world's  cold  blasts;  nor  a 
school-made  masterpiece;  neither  has  it  been  coddled,  bolstered  and  scien- 
tifically reared  into  some  sort  of  rare  ripe  popularity  by  analysts  or  critics 
or  learned  specialists.  It  has  lived  because  it  has  a  good  grip  on  the 
hearts  of  people, — common  people  who  sleep  well  o '  nights  without  knowing 
much  about  the  difference  between  end-stopped  and  carried-over  verses,  and 
who  go  softly  through  life  without  knowing  the  philologic  pedigree  of  the 
words  they  say  or  read.  Once  the  teacher  has  made  the  story  clear,  once  its 
scenes  have  become  real,  its  motives  and  acts  vivid,  there  will  be  no  murmur 
from  the  children  when  the  presentation  of  the  poem,  which  is  simply  the 

(31) 


tale  interpreted  by  a  master  and  set  to  rhythm,  is  made  to  follow  the  telling 
of  the  story. 

It  is  easy  to  prove  this  in  any  class  room.  But  no  such  proof  is  required 
by  any  one  who  thinks  about  the  proposition  for  the  second  time.  Such 
a  one  will  remember  how  much  richer  and  fuller  of  meaning  all  first-class, 
able-to-survive,  narrative  poetry  is  when  the  plot  of  the  story  in  its  setting 
is  first  known.  Robin  Hood  Ballads,  Sheridan's  Bide,  Columbus,  The 
'^Revenge"  are  of  this  type,  and  illustrations  common  to  our  experience 
might  be  multiplied  almost  indefinitely.  Not  only  a  second  time  but  even 
a  third  and  a  fourth  and  a  tenth  time  do  we  read  them  with  unfolding 
understanding.  It  is  this  unfolding  understanding  in  a  thing  so  rich 
with  meaning* or  so  charged  with  feeling  as  to  hold  reserves  of  pleasure 
for  us,  that  gives  the  deepening  interest  and  makes  for  the  story  a  place 
among  those  that  live. 

Another  consideration,  however,  is  quite  sufficient  to  place  the  teacher 
who  wishes  results  to  first  tell  the  story  of  Horatius  as  a  story  and  then 
present  it  as  a  poem.  All  normal  children  have  potentialities  of  poetic 
appreciation,  but  no  child  springs  at  once  into  a  full-fledged  exercise  of 
it.  Even  the  simplest  poetry  is  full  of  odd  words,  curious  twists  and  turns 
in  sentence  structure,  unusual  constructions,  and  the  new  and  confusing 
emphasis  of  rhythm.  Besides,  in  the  finished  product  of  poets  we  have 
a  wealth  of  imagery,  a  looseness  of  construction,  and  a  latitude  of  word 
applications  to  which  our  tastes  must  gradually  grow.  It  is  well,  therefore, 
to  start  the  pupil  in  the  development  of  his  poetic  appreciation  with  the 
momentum  guaranteed  him  by  an  interest  in  and  a  knowledge  of  what 
the  poem  is  about.  With  this  done  through  a  skillful  telling  of  the  story, 
it  remains  for  the  teacher  to  make  the  poetic  setting  of  the  tale  yield  its 
values  in  making  strong  and  deep  and  clear  the  appreciation  of  the  hearers. 

After  the  telling  of  the  story  the  poem  should  be  read  to  the  class.  But 
this  does  not  mean  that  it  should  be  read  through  without  a  pause.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  teacher  should  stop  and  interpret  at  almost  every  comma. 
If  it  is  worth  being  read  it  is  worth  being  understood,  and  it  will  not  be 
understood  without  this  interpretation.  All  in  all,  the  interpretations 
will  take  far  more  time  than  the  reading.  This  is  especially  true  as  so 
much  of  it  will  be  in  the  form  of  leading  questions  thrown  out  to  the 
class.  Keep  the  class  alive  with  living  questions.  This  is  not  only  a  test  of 
their  interest,  but  it  is  also  a  generator  of  it.  When  an  interpretation  or 
appreciative  comment  has  been  gained  from  the  class  by  a  series  of  wedge 
questions,  it  is  often  necessary  to  read  again  the  part  interpreted.  So, 
also,  it  is  frequently  desirable  after  such  an  interruption  to  drop  back  to 
the  last  break  in  the  poem  to  re-read  all  that  intervenes.  Thus  the  process 
of  reading  the  poem  is  in  reality  a  reading  and  re-reading,  accompanying 
a  constant  running  fire  of  parenthetical  interpretations,  explanations,  illus- 
trations, and  comments  drawn  from  the  class.  The  reading  shoul(^  weave 
back  and  forth  through  and  through  it  all,  thus  giving  narrative  unity  to 
the  story  and  poetic  beauty  to  its  expression. 

This  particular  poem  is  in  parts  simply  swamped  with  references.     Do 

(32) 


not  permit  the  children  to  look  up  any  of  them.  Such  as  the  class  can 
help  clear  up  under  the  suggestion  of  shrewd  questioning  should  be  thus 
brought  out,  and  the  rest  should  be  explained  forthwith  by  the  teacher. 
Many  of  them  are  of  use  only  in  giving  cumulative  strength  to  some  general 
impression.  Those  found  in  series  in  stanzas  four  to  eight,  and  twenty-three, 
are  of  this  sort  and  may  be  explained  as  a  class.  Thus,  after  reading  stanza 
twenty-three,  the  teacher  might  say,  ''Who  are  all  these  people?"  "Yes, 
they  are  friends  of  Lars  Porsena; — and  now  you  see  they  are  ready  to  do 
what?  Yes,  to  fight  for  him  and  to  conquer  Rome.  See  how  many  they 
were  and  how  the  Romans  were  able  to  recognize  them. ' '  Then  re-read  the 
stanzas  again  so  as  to  emphasize  their  excellent  qualities  of  form. 

The  teacher  should  remember  in  reading  this  poem  that  it  is  a  ballad, 
and  that  the  swinging  and  ringing  quality  of  its  versification  must  be 
brought  out  in  her  presentation  of  it. .  It  may  be  bad  form  for  members  of 
''Browning  Clubs"  to  repeat  or  read  poetry  in  a  sing-song  cadence;  just 
as  it  may  be  in  bad  taste  for  a  gourmet  to  dine  on  roast  beef  and  browned 
potatoes; — but  the  boy  and  girl  have  nothing  in  common  with  tastes  so 
delicately  developed.  Unless  some  generous  acknowledgment  is  made  to  the 
rhythm,  poetry  becomes  to  them  nothing  more  than  hard  and  unnatural 
prose.  Why  is  it  then  that  in  all  our  schools  a  general  hue  and  cry  is  raised 
when  a  pupil  dares  to  put  the  natural  beat  of  the  music  of  the  poetry 
into  his  oral  expression  of  it?  The  writer,  for  one,  does  not  know,  but 
he  strongly  suspects  that  it  is  the  combined  work  of  the  specialist  in  elocu- 
tion and  the  specialist  in  literar}^  analysis.  The  former  through  long  years 
of  practice  has  developed  au  art  that  is  lusty  enough  to  unhorse  and  trample 
into  the  dust  the  art  of  the  poet  author ;  and  the  latter  has  developed  such 
wisdom  as  leads  him  to  see  tlie  teaching  and  study  of  poetry  as  an  out- 
pouring of  erudition  concerning  poetic  forms,  rather  than  a  thing  to  sway 
and  move  and  charm  us. 

It  takes  us  a  long  time  to  get  educated  clean  away  from  a  love  for  an 
expression  of  the  melody  in  verse,  and  when  we  do,  perhaps  even  a  short 
time  before  we  do,  it  is  wise  for  us  to  quit  trying  to  make  poetry  pleasing  to 
children. 

Memory  Work. 

When  the  poem  has  been  finished,  stimulate  class  expression  as  to  which 
of  its  stanzas  are  the  most  beautiful.  Then  require  the  memorization  of 
those  parts,  (not  to  exceed  twenty  lines.)  thus  selected  by  the  pupils. 
Care  should  be  taken,  of  course,  to  guide  this  selection  so  that  it  will  be  well 
made. 

Cumulative  Review. 

1.  What  city  is  said  to  have  been  founded  by  Romulus  and  Remus. 

2.  Who  were  the  Tarquin  kings  ? 

3.  How  did  the  Consul  Brutus  show  his  love  for  the  state? 

4.  Briefly  tell  the  story  of  Horatius  at  the  Bridge. 

3— BUL.  5  (33) 


5.  Why  do  we  admire  Horatius'/ 

.6.  What  poem  has  been  written  about  this  brave  act  of  Horatius,  and  by 
whom  was  it  written  ? 

7.  Grive  from  memory  such  selections  from  the  poem  as  you  like  best. 

For  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  100.) 

Other  Well-known  Works  of  Macaulay: 

Battle  of  Lake  Regilhis. 

Virginia. 

(Both  of  these,  together  with  Horatius,  are  to  be  found  in  Macaulay 's 
Lays  of  Ancient  Rome.) 
General  Reading: 

Yonge:    A  Book  of  Golden  Deeds. 

Baldwin :    An  American  Book  of  Golden  Deeds. 

Mabie :  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know. 

Radford:    King  Arthur  and  His  Knights. 


(M) 


RIP  VAN  WINKLL. 


General  Remarks  and  Sug'g'estions. 

Rip  Van  Winkle  is  a  name  familiar  to  all  of  us.  We  have  heard  the 
story,  met  allusions  based  upon  it,  seen  pictures  illustrating  scenes  from 
it,  and  some  more  fortunate  than  the  rest  may  even  have  seen  Joe 
Jefferson  acting  in  the  title  role.  The  personality  of  Rip  has  become  real 
to  us, — almost  as  real  as  to  his  old  cronies  and  the  village  children,  and 
almost  as  well  liked  by  us  as  b^'  them.  The  story  therefore  deserves 
a  place  in  a  literature  course  that  has  proposed  to  bring  the  pupil  into 
touch  with  the  literature  that  has  gained  a  firm  hold  on  the  affections  of 
the  great  mass  of  people  of  connnon  culture.  Not  only  as  a  story  should  the 
pupils  meet  the  legend,  but  as  a  masterpiece  as  well.  Washington  Irving 
has  made  the  tale  one  of  our  best  short  stories  and  his  name  has  become 
inseparably  connected  with  it.  It  is  a  double  appreciation  for  the  story 
and  for  Irving 's  excellent  expression  of  it  that  the  teacher  should  develop 
in  her  pupils;  and  this  is  the  whole  object  of  the  presence  of  this  title  in 
the  course  of  study. 

It  may  be  well  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  work  is  not  to  be  made  a 
formal  or  analytical  study  of  literary  form.  Thousands  of  people  live 
happily  with  a  respectable  working  knowledge  and  hearty  appreciation  of 
the  adventures  of  Rip  Van  Winkle,  without  knowing  whether  its  diction 
is  characterized  by  Anglo-Saxon  or  Latin  derivatives,  and  without  inquirA' 
as  to  the  exact  principles  upon  which  the  author  has  founded  his  paragraphs. 
The  language  class  is  the  place  to  teach  whatever  the  pupils  need  to  know 
of  figures  of  speech,  rhetorical  devices,  ordinances  of  sentence  structure, 
and  all  else  that  may  be  demanded  by  standards  of  utility  or  tradition  in 
the  line  of  analysis  of  literary  form.  In  the  literature  class  should  be 
the  work  of  winning  the  pupils  to  a  rich  appreciation  of  the  story  as  a  good 
story:  of  giving  them  friendly  touch  with  its  characters,  contact  with  its 
situations,  and  sheer  delight  in  it  as  a  good  thing  to  be  well  enjoyed. 

Rip  Van  Winkle  should  not  be  made  a  grindstone  for  pointing  moral 
lessons.  Indeed,  to  be  the  basis  of  homily  the  story  should  either  work 
out  a  regeneration  of  Rip  or  else  bring  him  to  some  fit  punishment  for  his 
weaknesses.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  does  neither.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
is  much  to  be  feared  that  a  large  share  of  our  pleasure  in  it  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  we  see  in  the  shiftless  Dutch  colonist  a  well  and  wisely  berated 
phase  of  our  own  natures; — a  phase  that  does  us  no  credit  and  wins  for 
itself  no  admiration,  but  which  gives  us  no  little  pleasure  and  which  we 
are  secretly  glad  to  see  triumphant  in  the  person  and  exploits  of  the  hero 
of  our  tale.  So  in  the  light  of  the  ethical  standards  of  these  busy  days, 
when- energy  and  devotion  to  duty  and  clearness  of  purpose  are  the  guiding 

(35) 


lights,  the  ethical  core  of  the  story  is  highly  unorthodox;  and  while  Ave 
enjoy  it  quietly  there  is  no  need  to  make  it  positively  bad  by  undue 
emphasis.  Neither  let  us  tear  the  narrative  to  tatters  in  order  to  get  from  it 
forced  moral  issues.  It  is  not  meant  to  be  used  as  a  parable,  and  even  if 
it  were  the  best  way  to  win  meaning  from  it  would  be  to  tell  it  for  all  it 
is  worth  as  a  good  story.  This  caution  may  be  purely  redundant.  Never- 
theless, note  writers  and  writers  of  introductions  to  school  classics  are  so 
ingenious  in  introducing  ethical  philosophy  of  the  intrusive  sort  into* 
everything,  that  the  teacher  may  well  be  doubly  warned  against  following- 
such  a  tendency  in  handling  this  selection.  It  is  not  moral  philosophy  and 
ethical  deduction  that  she  is  to  expound;  her  task  lies  rather  in  making 
real,  vivid,  and  full  of  charm  a  quaint  old  story  that  has  lived  for  the 
enjoyment  of  generations. 

The  pupils  must  be  brought  to  see  the  sleepy  old  colonial  town  with 
its  pleasant  neighboring  farms  and  shining  river  and  blue-shaded  mountains 
behind  it  all.  They  must  enter  the  home  of  Rip  and  feel  the  humor  and 
thin  relief  of  pathos  behind  it.  Above  all  they  must  come  to  know  the 
gaunt,  kindly,  shiftless  Rip  Van  Winkle,  loved  by  all,  laughed  at  and. 
scolded  by  all,  quick  to  help  every  one  save  himself  and  his.  All  this  can 
not  be  done  by  making  the  selection  a  reading  lesson.  The  teaching  of  the 
mechanics  of  oral  reading  is  a  very  important  piece  of  work ;  so  important, 
indeed,  that  it  should  be  the  special  object  of  a  course  carefully  worked 
out.  But  the  literature  course  is  as  different  and  apart  from  this  reading- 
course  as  is  the  work  in  spelling  or  arithmetic  or  music.  The  emotional 
experiences  through  which  the  literature  may  lead  the  pupils,  the  apprecia- 
tions which  it  may  leave  with  them,  these  are  its  objects;  and  one  of  tlie 
surest  ways  not  to  attain  them  is  to  make  the  work  a  reading  exercise.. 
Irving 's  framing  of  the  tale  should,  of  course,  be  brought  before  the  class; 
but  not  in  detached,  misread  fragments,  riddled  by  formal  criticism- 
Children  will  not  enjoy  the  story  as  a  good  story  well  told,  if  it  be  made  a. 
formal  reading  lesson. 

Preparation  and  Presentation. 

The  teacher  should  first  be  at  one  with  Irving  in  his  view  of  life  in  the 
Dutch  village  on  the  Hudson.  She  must  see  the  scene  described  in  the 
first  two  paragraphs ;  must  see  it  vividly  and  in  colors  and  with  intimate 
clearness  as  to  characteristic  details.  And  not  only  must  the  teacher  thus: 
see  the  old  town,  but  it  must  be  a  pleasing  visualization,  warmed  with  genial 
appreciations,  tinged  with  the  colors  of  real  experience.  Some  knowledge 
of  old  colonial  ways  and  scenes  will  help  the  teacher  into  the  right  mental 
environment.  Half-forgotten  pictures  should  be  recalled, — pictures  of 
a  rambling  village  lane ;  of  the  roadside  inn,  sheltered  by  spreading  trees  ,- 
of  stepped-up  house  fronts;  of  easy-going  Dutch  with  silver-buckled  shoes: 
and  knee  bows  on  their  wide  pantaloons;  of  round,  placid  faces  holding- 
old-fashioned  pipes  and  surmounted  by  broad-brimmed,  towering  hats,- 
of  bowling  greens;  of  ale  tankards;  of  dusty  travelers  alighting  before 
a  bowing  landlord  in  white  apron  and  flowing  pigtails;  of  the  village 

(36) 


T^^indmill  on  the  hill.  Fortunately  the  author  has  done  so  much  to  develop 
the  local  color  of  the  village  and  home  of  Rip  Van  Winkle  that  j;he  teacher 
may  secure  a  very  good  working  appreciation  of  the  essential  conditions  of 
the  time  and  place  by  merely  following  his  hints.  Given  a  fairly  fertile 
imagination  and  Irving 's  sketch  lines,  then  the  visual  situations  of  the 
story  and  the  surrounding  atmosphere  of  the  time  and  place  become  real. 
The  following  settings  should  be  warmly  visualized  in  the  teacher's  mind: 

1.  The  general  scenic  background  of  the  whole  story:  river,  village  half 
concealed  by  trees,  meadows  and  farm  plots,  and  the  hazy,  shadow-grooved 
mountains  in  the  background. 

2.  The  main  street  of  the  village. 

3.  Rip  Van  Winkle's  homestead  and  its  contrast  with  neighboring  farms. 

4.  The  interior  of  Rip's  home  during  some  unhappy  domestic  wrangle. 

5.  The  scene  in  front  of  the  village  inn. 

6.  The  mountain  solitudes  through  which  Rip  wandered  with  his  dog 
and  gun. 

7.  The  ravine  and  hidden  amphitheater  where  he  met  with  strange 
company. 

8.  The  scene  of  his  awakening. 

9.  The  various  scenic  details  involved  in  the  changes  experienced  by  him 
on  his  return  to  the  village. 

A  mere  knowledge  of  facts  involved  in  the  above  is  not  sufficient:  the 
scenes  themselves  must  stand  out  in  clear-cut  mental  pictures.  Without 
these  visualizations  the  charm  of  the  story  will  be  lost  to  teacher  and  class. 

A  keen  appreciation  of  the  human  nature  side  of  the  story  is  also  a  pre- 
requisite to  good  interpretation  by  the  teacher.  She  must  become  in  faucj' 
an  intimately  interested  spectator  of  the  village  life  and  of  Rip  Van 
Winkle's  particular  joys,  sorrows,  motives,  sentiments,  and  moods.  She 
must  see  the  change  from  sleepy  Dutch  village  to  bustling  American  town 
that  twenty  years  had  wrought.  And  through  all  she  must  follow  with 
sensitive  response  the  whims  of  humor  and  of  pathos  that  bind  the  whole 
together. 

The  method  herein  suggested  for  use  in  presenting  the  tale  to  the  class 
assumes  that  pupils  are  to  be  supplied  with  texts.  This  seems  advisable 
because  of  the  first-hand  contact  thus  to  be  gained  by  them  with  the  story 
as  told  by  a  master  story-writer.  Acquaintance  with  Irving 's  Rip  Van 
Winkle,  if  it  be  friendly  acquaintance,  will  result  in  pleasant  recurrences  to 
the  text  by  pupils  in  later  years ;  and  thus  a  dividend-bearing  addition  will 
have  been  made  to  the  pupil's  fund  of  literary  capital.  Besides,  it  will  be 
a  factor  in  leading  him  into  a  voluntary  acquaintance  with  other  and 
similar  stories,  and  especially  into  touch  with  other  stories  by  the  same 
author.  This  last  consideration  makes  it  advisable  when  selecting  texts 
to  choose  an  edition  containing  several  other  good  short  stories  by  Irving. 
The  teacher  should  take  the  opportunity  to  lead  as  many  as  possible  of  the 
pupils  to  an  interest  in  these  stories  as  purely  supplementary  reading.  (See 
chapter  entitled  ''Good  Reading  Habits,"  pp.  100-103.) 

The  class  work  should  begin  with  a  brief  discussion  of  the  times  in  which 

(37) 


the  plot  of  the  story  is  laid.  Reference  should  be  made  to  the  voyage  of 
Henry  Hudson  up  the  Hudson  River,  the  settlement  of  the  valley  by  Dutch 
colonists,  the  quiet  easy  life  in  the  old  Dutch  towns,  and  of  how  the  bustling 
American  life  with  its  elections  and  swiftly  changing  conditions  came  in 
with  the  Revolution.  The  time  may  be  somewhat  clearly  fixed  by  allusion 
to  the  faet  that  Indians  still  went  on  the  warpath  in  New  York  State.  The 
general  setting  of  the  story  should  be  fixed  by  a  sketch  of  the  life  in  the 
Dutch  colonies  and  a  description  of  the  village  of  the  story.  Instead  of 
outlining  the  whole  of  the  narrative  in  this  preliminary  sketch,  it  will  be 
well  merely  to  describe  the  principal  characters,  and  to  give  a  suggestive 
inkling  of  what  the  plot  is  about.  With  this  end  in  view  the  pupils  should 
be  led  into  a  friendly  interest  in  Rip  and  his  affairs.  A  few  hints  should 
be  thrown  out  to  arouse  anticipatory  interest  in  the  adventures  and  sur- 
prises, that  the  plot  develops.  This  done,  the  pupils  are  ready  to  open  texts 
with  the  teacher  and  to  follow  her  as  she  reads  and  interprets. 

Method  of  Interpretation. 

1.  Unfamiliar  words:  Such  words  as  present  difficulties  to  the  pupils 
should  be  explained  briefiy  by  the  teacher,  or  where  possible  by  comments 
by  the  class.  The  explanation  should  detract  as  little  as  possible  from  the 
progress  of  the  story. 

Examples:  gabled  fronts;  galligaskins;  volley;  virago;  rubicund;  sages; 
wistfully;  musing;  vague;  antique;  jerkin;  alacrity;  azure;  transient; 
amphitheater;  incomprehensible;  doublet;  fowling-piece;  roysterers; 
gambol;  famished;  misgave;  metamorphosed;  scepter;  doling;  jargon; 
akimbo;  austere;  cronies. 

2.  Allusions  and  references:  A  considerable  number  of  geographical 
and  historical  allusions  will  need  clearing  up.  This  should  be  done,  as  in 
the  case  of  new  words,  with  as  little  digression  from  the  story  and  as  much 
class  cooperation  as  is  possible. 

Examples:  Hudson  River;  Kaatskill  Mountains;  Peter  Stuyvesant;  Tar- 
tar's lance;  George  the  Third;  Flemish  paintings;  General  Washington; 
Congress;  Bunker  Hill;  heroes  of  seventy-six;  Babylonish  jargon;  Federal 
or  Democrat-;    Stony  Point;   Hendrick  Hudson;   ''Half  Moon." 

3.  Situations  of  strong  narrative  interest :  Emphasis  should  be  placed  on 
the  following  as  each  arises,  to  the  end  that  every  turn  in  the  plot  shall  be 
fully  understood  and  enjoyed: 

(a)  Rip's  habits  and  disposition. 
(6)   His  domestic  sorrows. 

(c)  The  encounter  with  the  stranger  on  the  mountainside. 

(d)  The  adventure  in  the  amphitheater. 

(e)  The  awakening  and  the  search  for  the  strange  revellers. 
if)  Rip  as  a  stranger  in  his  home  town. 

(g)   His  final  readjustment  to  changed  conditions. 

4.  Visual  images :  The  story  is  a  panorama  of  vivid  pictures  which  will 
be  mentally  visualized  by  the  class  if  the  presentation  is  well  done.     The 

(38) 


following,  especially,  should  be  made  clear  by  the  introduction  of  crisp, 
suggestive  detail : 

(a)   The  sleepy  old  Dutch  town. 

( h )   Rip 's  shiftless  ways. 

(c)  Domestic  infelicity  in  the  Van  Winkle  home. 

(d)  The  strange  revel  in  the  mountains. 

(e)  Rip's  astonishment  on  awakening. 

(/)  Rip's  appearance  at  the  political  meeting  at  the  inn.  (The  busy 
body  who  leads  in  Rip's  examination  deserves  especial  attention.) 

(g)  Rip's  return  to  old  habits.  (The  house  of  his  daughter  and  the 
bench  in  front  of  the  inn  form  the  scenes  in  the  last  view  of  our  friend.)   . 

5.  Class  activity  and  response:  All  through  the  presentation  leading 
questions  should  be  thrown  out  by  the  teacher  in  order  to  keep  class  interest 
at  its  best.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  best  way  of  explaining  a 
motive  is  to  skillfully  lead  the  pupils  into  a  discussion  of  it,  and  the  clearest 
interpretation  is  the  one  that  is  largely  a  result  of  class  contributions.  The 
following  are  indicated  as  typical  occasions  for  class  activity.  The  watch- 
ful teacher  will  see  others  equally  as  stimulating  to  clear  ideas  and  to  inter- 
est in  almost  every  sentence  of  the  text : 

(a)  Comparison  of  the  mountain  scenery  described  in  the  first  paragraph 
with  similar  scenery  in  the  experience  of  the  pupils,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  vivid  the  Kaatskill  background  of  the  story. 

(h)  What  sort  of  people  would  you  expect  to  find  in  the  little  Dutch 
village  described  in  the  second  paragraph?  AVould  they  be  busy,  bustling 
folk,  or  slow-going  and  contented? 

(g)  What  do  the  words  in  parenthesis,  paragraph  third,  tell  about  the 
occupant  of  the  house  under  discussion  ? 

(d)  What  sort  of  a  disposition  do  you  suppose  that  Rip  Van  Winkle 
must  have  had  judging  from  the  description  in  the  fourth  paragraph? 
Did  he  have  a  kind  or  cross  expression  on  his  face?  Do  you  happen  to 
know  any  one  like  him?  Would  you  be  glad  to  have  such  a  character  in 
the  neighborhood  ? 

(e)  What  sort  of  a  picture  do  you  suppose  young  Rip  made  in  his 
father's  cast-off  knee  breeches?  If  he  was  like  his  father,  do  you  think 
that  his  outlandish  appearance  bothered  him  very  much? 

(/)  Why  was  the  company  at  the  inn  so  congenial  to  Rip?  Have  you 
ever  met  any  village  sages?  What  did  Dame  Van  Winkle  think  of  the 
associates  of  her  husband?  How  do  you  suppose  Rip  felt  to  be  routed  from 
their  company?  Which  pained  him  more,  his  own  disgrace  or  the  fact 
that  his  good  friends  were  involved  in  the  scandal? 

(g)  What  was  left  for  the  unhappy  man  when  the  inn  no  longer  offered 
refuge  from  his  wife's  ratings?  What  does  his  kindness  to  Wolf  show 
of  his  nature?  Why  was  there  such  a  bond  of  sympathy  between  Rip 
and  Wolf  ?    AVere  they  in  some  respects  alike  ? 

(h)  Do  you  think  that  Rip  enjoyed  the  view^  and  the  pleasant  mountain 
surroundings  as  he  rested  after  his  day's  hunt?     What  afterthought  dis- 


(39) 


turbed  his  peace  of  mind?  Do  you  think  that  he  was  eager  to  start  for 
home  ? 

(0  Why  did  the  dog  skulk  to  Eip's  side  when  the  stranger  approached? 
Did  you  ever  see  a  dog  behave  in  that  way?  What  does  Rip's  readiness 
to  help  the  stranger  in  carrying  the  keg  tell  about  him  ?  Was  Rip  a  timid, 
overcautious  man?  How  do  you  suppose  he  felt  when  he  came  upon  the 
scene  in  the  amphitheater?  What  disquieting  signs  were  there?  In  what 
respect  was  Rip  poorly  qualified  to  act  as  a  cup-bearer?  What  helped 
him  to  master  his  fear  and  curiosity  concerning  the  strange  company  ? 

{j)  What  did  Rip  think  when  he  found  himself  awake  on  the  green 
knoll?  What  shows  that  pame  Van  Winkle  was  never  far  from  his 
thoughts?  What  signs  were  there  that  changes  had  taken  place  since  he 
was  last  awake?  To  what  did  Rip  ascribe  those  changes?  Did  he  have 
any  reason  to  think  that  he  had  been  out  on  the  knoll  more  than  one  night? 
What  made  his  homeward  journey  an  unpleasant  prospect  to  him  ? 

(k)  Note  the  various  unusual  circumstances  which  he  met  with  on 
his  way  home.  How  did  he  feel  as  he  passed  down  the  village  street  and 
entered  his  deserted  home?  What  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  inn? 
Do  you  think  that  the  new  hotel  with  its  sidewalk  politicians  in  front  of  it 
seemed  so  pleasant  a  sight  to  Rip  as  the  old  inn  and  its  bench  full  of  village 
gossips  would  have  seemed  ?  Which  picture  do  you  like  best  ?  Why  was 
it  that  the  words  of  the  political  speaker  were  mere  jargon  to  Rip?  In 
wliat  state  of  mind  do  you  think  he  was  as  each  new  confusion  seized 
him?  What  made  his  statement  that  he  was  a  loyal  subject  of  the  king 
so  irritating  to  his  hearers?  What  sort  of  a  character  was  'the  man  in 
the  cocked  hat?  Do  you  like  him  as  well  as  you  do  old  Nicholas  Vedder 
or  Rip  himself?  What  did  the  people  think  was  the  matter  with  Rip  when 
he  first  began  to  explain  ?    What  made  them  fear  that  he  was  crazy  ? 

(?)  What  was  so  appropriate  in  the  death  of  Dame  Van  Winkle?  Had 
Rip  fared  better  or  worse  than  his  neighbors  for  his  twenty-year  sleep? 
Don't  you  think  that  after  twenty  years  of  sleep  he  should  have  been 
thoroughly  rested  and  ready  for  work?  Would  you  rather  that  he  had 
tu]-ned  over  a  new  leaf  or  gone  back  to  his  old  ways  ?  Was  the  village  in 
any  way  better  off  because  of  his  return?  Suppose  his  son-in-law  was  as 
idle  and  shiftless  as  he  had  been,  what  would  Rip  have  done  for  a  home? 
Do  you  think  that  little  Rip, — old  Rip  Van  Winkle's  grandchild, — was 
to  turn  out  as  shiftless  as  his  grandfather,  and  as  his  uncle,  Rip  II? 
What  was  there  about  the  home-raising  of  this  youngest  Rip  that  would 
probably  bring  him  into  different  habits  ? 

(m)  Do  you  like  the  story?  Why?  What  part  is  the  most  interesting? 
Is  any  of  it  sad?    Find  some  humorous  touches. 

After  the  story  has  been  told  and  discussed  a  few  words  should  be 
given  the  class  to  rememher  concerning  the  author.  This  should  be  limited 
to  the  facts  that  his  name  was  Washington  Irving,  a  famous  American 
story-writer,  who  lived  and  wrote  about  eighty  years  ago.  The  teacher 
should  then  call  attention  to  such  other  sketches  by  Irving  as  may  be  found 
in  the  text  or  are  otherwise  accessible  to  the  class.     These  should  be  read 

(40) 


voluntarily  by  the  pupils  outside  of  class  work.  Occasional  class  reports 
may  be  made  by  individuals  concerning-  this  reading,  and  from  time  to 
time  some  pupil  should  be  permitted  to  tell  the  class  the  story  that  has 
specially  appealed  to  him.  The  teacher  should  be  careful  to  make  such 
reference  to  this  supplementary  reading  as  Avill  stimulate  the  desires  of  the 
pupils  to  enjoy  it.  A  brief  introduction  to  a  good  story,  presented  by 
the  teacher  in  the  manner  of  a  first  installment,  will  often  prove  an  effective 
lure  to  the  interests  of  the  class. 

Cumulative  Review. 

1.  Briefly  sketch  the  story  of  Rip  Van  Winkle.      \ 

2.  In  "what  time  and  place  is  the  plot  of  the  story  laid  ? 

3.  Describe  the  character  and  appearance  of  Rip  as  you  have  him  in  mind. 

4.  Who  wrote  the  story  of  Rip  Van  Winkle? 

5.  What  other  stories  by  Irving  have  you  read? 

6.  In  what  day  and  land  did  Irving  live  and  write? 

For  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  100.) 

Other  Well-known  Works  by  Irving  : 
The  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow. 
Stories  selected  from  the  Alhamhra: 

The  Adventure  of  the  Mason. 

Legend  of  the  Arabian  Astrologer. 

The  Moor's  Legacy. 

The  Rose  of  the  Alhamhra. 

Governor  Manco  and  the  Soldier. 

The  Two  Discreet  Statues. 

The  Enchanted  Soldier. 
General  Reading: 

Grimm:     Fairy  Stories. 

Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments. 

Mabie:    Legends  Every  Child  Should  Know. 

Dickens:    Christmas  Carol. 


(41) 


THL  50NG  OF  HIAWATHA, 


General  Remarks  and  Sug-g-estions. 

This  Iiidiau  hero  story  with  its  interwoven  myths  and  legends  occupias  a 
prominent  place  in  grammar  school  courses  of  study.  It  is  the  best  adapted 
of  all  of  Longfellow'!  longer  poems  for  presentation  to  children.  There  is, 
in  harmony  with  its  subject-matter,  a  certain  simplicity  of  form,  freshness, 
and  sincerity  of  phrasing,  and  sprightliness  of  action  that  bring  it  easily 
within  the  appreciations  of  pupils  in  the  upper  grades  when  properly  intro- 
duced to  them.  From  it  the  teacher  should  strive  to  get  the  following 
results  for  her  class: 

1.  It  should  give  the  children  some  knowledge  warmly  touched  with 
feeling  for  various  phases  of  Indian  life.  Some  knowledge  of  this  aborig- 
inal life  is  common  American  lore  and  no  one  can  be  tolerably  well 
informed  in  this  direction  who  is  ignorant  of  the  wigwam,  hunting  habits, 
war  customs,  dress,  diet,  and  manners  of  the  Indians ;  or  of  the  more  specific 
customs  of  the  peace  pipe,  ceremonial  dance,  medicine  making,  and  picture 
writing.  To  all  this  the  poem  introduces  the  pupil,  and  in  a  way  that 
brings  out  the  spectacular  and  adorns  the  commonplace  so  that  the  whole 
secures  a  good  hold  upon  the  feelings  and  becomes  endowed  with  the  char- 
acteristics of  literature.  It  may  be  urged  at  this  point  by  some  that  Long- 
fellow has  portrayed  an  idealized,  gilded  Indian  life,  and  that  it  is  wrong 
to  set  anything  but  the  barren  facts  of  the  ethnologist  and  anthropologist 
before  the  impressionable  minds  of  the  young.  The  answer  to  this  is  that 
there  is  much  in  the  poem  that  gives  not  only  the  truth  concerning  the 
spirit  of  Indian  affairs,  but  the  truth  as  to  their  facts  as  well.  Such  sifting 
out  of  the  sheer  glamour  as  adult  common  sense  requires  will  be  made  by 
the  child  in  good  time  as  he  develops.  The  poem  as  it  stands  gives  us  the 
romance  side  of  the  common  viewpoint  of  the  "nobie  red  man."  History 
is  well  able  to  take  care  of  the  other  side. 

2.  It  should  arouse  an  appreciation  for  the  form  and  music  of  the  poem. 
This  appreciation  should  be  a  very  special  product  of  contact  with  The  Soiig 
of  Hiawatha  because  of  its  clear,  smooth-running,  chant-like  verses,  its 
musical  cadences  and  the  simple  vigor  of  its  imagery.  Together  with 
Homtiiis  and  the  old  Ballads  it  has  an  important  place  in  developing  a 
general  fondness  for  poetic  form. 

3.  The  story  of  Hiawatha  takes  the  pupil  a  long  way  toward  the  enjoy- 
ment of  idealized  natiire  poets  and  story-tellers,  and  hence  into  adjustment 
with  a  large  amount  of  first-class  current  and  standard  literature.  Words- 
worth, Shelley,  Coleridge,  Kipling,  Thompson-Seton,  Burroughs,  and  the 
rest,  are  simply  treating  of  Hiawatha's  old  friends  and  their  relatives  from 
some  different  angle. 

(42) 


4.  A  number  of  healthful  emotional  reactions  are  given  the  child  in  dif- 
ferent situations  that  afford  a  basis  for  ethical  discrimination. 

These  are  the  principal  results  to  be  attained.  But  in  the  way  of  their 
attainment  stand  a  number  of  difficulties.  In  the  first  place  comes  the  old 
axiom,— the  teacher  must  rejoice  in  the  poem  herself  if  she  hopes  to  get  a 
more  than  skin-deep  appreciation  in  the  class.  Errors  in  method  of  pres- 
entation, too,  will  destroy  its  value.  It  is  worse  than  idle  to  cut  it  up 
into  so  niany  lines  for  this  day  and  that ;  to  spend  time  having  the  class  hunt 
up  the  meaning  of  words  that  should  be  endowed  with  meaning  as  quickly 
and  quietly  as  possible  by  the  teacher ;  to  haggle  over  the  pronunciation  of 
hard  j^roper  names  that  should  be  spoken  by  the  simple  rule  of  harmony  to 
I'hythm ;  to  chase,  impale,  and  classify  figures  of  speech ;  or,  horrible  to  sug- 
gest, to  have  trembling  youngsters  mutilate  and  butcher  and  rend  limb 
from  limb  the  cadence  and  the  sense  of  the  beautiful  lines  in  a  paroxysm 
improperly  called  reading. 

Each  day's  work  should,  of  course,  be  carefull.y  prepared  by  the  teacher. 
She  should  be  sure  that  each  lesson  unit  is  a  true  story  unit,  with  action  and 
situations  sufficient  to  hold  the  interest  of  the  class  and  Avith  a  definite  prog- 
ress in  the  development  of  some  plot.  She  should  be  able  to  read  it  with 
expression  qualified  to  bring  out  its  meaning,  and  should  have  in  mind  the 
various  points  where  significant  questions,  useful  discussions  and  sidelights 
of  anecdote,  chalk  sketch  and  allusion  may  most  profitably  be  introduced. 

It  was  never  intended  by  the  author  that  an  Indian  mythological  glossary 
should  be  thumbed  to  dilapidation  as  a  means  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
poem.  Therefore,  he  has  woven  into  the  poem,  and  generally  in  parallel 
construction  with  the  term  that  needs  interpretation,  the  meaning  of 
every  new  word  or  phrase.    Thus  we  have, — 

''And  the  Heron,— the  Shu-Shu-Ga. ' ' 
"The  Great  Serpent,  the  Kenabeek," 
"Glared  like  Ish-ko-dah,  the  Comet, 
Ish-ko-dah  with  fiery  tresses," 
and  so  without  number.    Each  of  these  interpretations  of  prominent  names 
should  be  stressed  by  the  teacher  with  as  little  flurry  and  digression  as 
possible  until  the  more  important  ones  are  readily  understood  by  the  class. 
The  poem  is  filled  with  effective  figures  of  speech ;  but  the  death  of  their 
literary  usefulness  is  at  hand  when  the  teacher  starts  in  to  analyze,  define, 
and  classify  them.     When  she  reads, — 

"And  the  Spirit  of  Sleep,  Nepahwin, 
Shut  the  doors  of  all  the  wigwams," 
or,— 

"Till  the  birch  canoe  seemed  lifted 
High  into  that  sea  of  splendor, 
Till  it  sank  into  the  vapors 
Like  the  new  moon  slowly,  slowlj^ 
Sinking  in  the  purple  distance," — 
when  reading  these  and  other  figures  of  like  beauty  the  teacher  should  win 

(43) 


for  the  class  a  fuller,  more  vivid  meaning"  because  of  the  imagery  employed 
by  the  poet.  But  to  stop  and  define  each  figure,  to  berate  some  one  who  has 
forgotten  a  definition,  to  shake  a  finger  at  another  who  is  unable  to  make 
a  correct  classification,  to  hunt  for  fine  distinctions  in  form, — all  this  does 
not  aid  in  giving  that  fuller,  more  vivid  meaning  to  the  class.  Most  of  the 
simple  figures  of  speech  in  Hiawatha  exert  their  power  upon  the  child 
merely  by  being  well  read,  or  at  most  by  having  a  short,  parenthetical 
explanation  thrown  in.  And  the  rest  should  be  quietly  passed  over.  Any 
author  who  uses  figures  of  speech  that  need  elaborate  annotation  is  using 
a  useful  instrument  in  a  harmful  way;  for  the  purpose  of  a  figure  is 
simply  to  illuminate,  to  make  clear, — ^visibly  clear, — not  to  cloud  or  compli- 
cate the  meaning.  Longfellow  in  other  poems  is  guilty  of  many  ornate, 
erudite,  bookish  and  farfetched  figures  which  no  child  or  ordinary  adult 
can  do  more  than  puzzle  over.  But  such  figures  are  in  poor  taste  anywhere, 
and  the  kindest,  most  sensible  thing  to  do  with  them  is  to  pass  them  in 
silence.  Fortunately  this  poem  has  few  or  none  of  these  over-elaborate 
figures.  The  teacher  should  keep  this  in  mind:  in  the  literature  lesson  a 
figure  of  speech  should  be  the  source  of  increased  enjoyment  because  it 
makes  a  meaning  more  beautiful  or  more  vivid ;  and  it  is  never  in  its 
proper  place  in  such  a  lesson  when  it  is  made  the  subject  of  autopsy  and 
inquest. 

Above  all  do  not  base  the  class  work  on  the  reading  aloud  of  the  poem 
by  the  children.  It  is  not  an  exercise  in  oral  reading.  No  child  can  do 
more  than  make  it  hateful  to  himself  and  tiresome  to  the  class  by  bumping 
along  through  it  in  this  way.  Even  if  a  fair  degree  of  skill  could  be 
attained  by  each  pupil  in  this  oral  reading,  nevertheless  the  idea  of  chopping 
up  a  story  into  disjointed  fragments  delivered,  (with  many  suggestions  and 
encouragements  on  the  part  of  the  teacher,)  in  a  succession  of  errors,  in 
varying  manners,  postures,  voices,  and  styles,  is  abhorrent  to  the  purpose 
in  view, — the  winning  from  it  of  literary  values.  Even  a  good  teacher 
with  her  heart  in  the  work  will  find  it  necessary  to  go  over  the  lines  at 
least  twice  in  rehearsal  before  reading  those  portions  to  the  class,  in  order 
to  get  the  right  swing  to  each  verse  and  the  proper  twist  to  each  long 
proper  name. 

Do  not  punish  the  class  with  demands  for  detailed  memory  reproduction 
of  the  story  or  parts  of  it.  Is  there  any  standard  of  education  known  and 
respected  among  men  that  makes  it  necessary  for  one  to  remember  how 
KwMsind  died,  or  whether  Ajadaumo  was  a  beaver,  a  squirrel,  or  a  buffalo? 
To  be  sure,  the  meaning  of  each  sentence  and  each  story  must  be  plain  to 
all  the  class  when  the  part  in  question  is  being  presented.  Whether  or  not 
the  meaning  of  what  the  teacher  .tells  or  reads  is  clear  can  be  tested  by 
a  score  of  signs  of  interest  and  by  the  way  in  which  the  pupils  respond  to 
interlocutory  questions,  how  they  engage  in  discussions,  what  they  say  and 
feel  in  the  story  problems  that  will  be  threshed  out  among  them  under 
the  teacher's  guidance  and  cross-questioning.  But  to  put  a  class  to  the 
third  inquisitorial  degree  at  the  end  of  a  story  or  at  the  end  of  the  poem 
or  at  the  end  of  the  term  with  such  demands  as,  "Who  was  Poh-Puk- 

(44) 


Keena  ? "  "  Where  did  Nokomis  come  from  r '  "  Tell  the  story  of  Nahma, ' ' 
etc.,  this  would  be  the  height  of  the  ridiculous  were  it  not  so  seriously- 
damaging  to  the  purpose  of  the  poem  in  the  scheme  of  literary  education. 

Save  where  other  method  is  specifically  suggested,  the  teacher  should 
follow  in  this  work  the  general  plan  proposed  for  the  presentation  of 
Horatius  and  Evangeline.  That  is  to  say,  the  story  should  be  introduced, 
told  and  made  clear  and  interesting.  Then  the  poem  should  be  read,  inter- 
pteted,  and  the  points  of  special  interest  discussed.  It  is  necessary  here, 
however,  because  of  the  fact  that  the  poem  is  so  long  and  because  it  is 
really  a  series  of  stories,  to  deal  with  each  story  as  a  unit.  For  each  story, 
therefore,  the  introduction,  narration  and  explanation  of  plot  should  be 
followed  b}^  the  reading  of  the  text,  interspersed  with  such  interpretation 
and  discussion  as  may  be  worth  while. 

The  suggestions  that  follow  are  in  great  part  directed  toward  securing 
class  activity  during  the  presentation;  but  they  by  no  means  exhaust  the 
possibilities  in  that  line.  Whether  telling  or  reading,  the  teacher  should  be 
on  the  constant  lookout  for  chances  to  secure  interested  class  response. 

The  pupils  should  be  equipped  with  the  text,  and  they  should  follow  the 
teacher  on  their  books  when  she  is  reading.  If  it  seems  advisable  for  any 
reason  to  have  the  class  go  without  texts  the  methods  set  forth  in  the  fol- 
lowing suggestions  will  be  found  no  less  applicable  to  the  situation.  Famil- 
iarity with  the  printed  poem,  however,  is  one  of  the  objects  of  the  work, 
and  it  is  desirable  for  this  reason  to  have  the  class  equipped  with  texts. 

Preparation  and  Presentation. 

Before  beginning  the  work  in  class  the  teacher  should  read  the  poem 
through.  A  well-illustrated  edition  should  be  used  by  her  if  possible,  so 
that  the  visualizations  called  up  in  her  mind  by  the  text  may  bo  as  vivid 
and  circumstantial  as  possible.  She  must  put  herself  in  the  attitude  of  one 
who  is  to  listen  to  the  simple  tales  of  a  primitive  race  whose  imaginings 
went  fondly  out  to  meet  a  world  unknown.  She  should  make  herself  rea- 
sonably familiar  with  Indian  ways,  for  if  the  life  of  the  myth-makers  is 
known  their  myths  will  be  more  appreciated.  Acquaintance  with  the  Greek, 
Hebrew,  and  Norse  legends  will  help  her  to  attain  an  insight  into  the  spirit 
of  myth-making. 

The  teacher  should  begin  class  work  with  a  discussion  in  simple  terms  of 
the  origin  of  the  stories  found  in  Hiawatha.  The  following  should  be 
brought  out  in  an  interesting  manner:  Among  the  Indians  were  many 
stories  in  which  they  explained  the  wonderful  things  in  nature  which  they 
saw  about  them.  Thus  they  made  persons  or  spirits  of  the  seasons,  the 
winds,  the  ice,  the  river,  the  forest  trees,  animals,  corn,  and  all  the  objects 
that  aroused  their  wonder  or  strongly  affected  their  affairs.  So,  too,  they 
glorified  their  heroes  and  brave  leaders.  These  hero  tales  grew  with  each 
generation  and  clustered  more  and  more  distinctly  around  a  few  of  the 
most  important  characters.  Many  different  tribes  of  Indians  possessed  such 
old   legends   and  wonder  stories.     The   Ojibways,   especially,  had   a   rich 

(45) 


fund  of  them.  These  0  jib  way  stories  were  collected  by  students  who 
found  that  they  could  learn  quite  as  much  about  the  Indians  from  them  as 
from  observation  of  present  customs  and  Avays.  And  finally  came  a  poet, 
Longfellow,  the  greatest  American  poet,  who  wrapped  them  all  together 
into  one  beautiful  poem  called  The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

After  an  introduction  in  which  the  foregoing  has  been  explained  and 
amplified  to  the  point  of  simplicity  and  class  interest,  the  teacher  should 
read  the  Introduction  to  the  poem,  bringing  out  its  music  and  the  charm  of 
its  echo-like*  repetitions.  Interpret  as  often  as  may  be  necessary  in  order 
to  make  simple  meanings  clear.  In  this  interpretation  work,  the  desired 
light  may  generally  be  brought  out  from  the  class  by  dint  of  shrewd  ques- 
tions. Such  class  activity  is  of  triple  value,  for  it  insures  class  interest, 
strengthens  the  impressions  received  by  the  pupils,  and  makes  sure  and 
strong  their  appreciations.  It  should  not  take  the  form  of  a  book-closed 
catechism,  but  should  be  rather  an  intermittent  series  of  questions  woven 
into  the  work  and  closely  identified  with  the  progress  made  from  point  to 
point.  It  should  be  wrought  so  as  to  stimulate  and  lead  on  the  unfolding 
interest  of  the  pupils.  It  is  plain  that  here  as  elsewhere  whenever  the 
parenthetical  comment,  interpretation,  or  discussion  by  the  class  has  broken 
into  the  sustained  melody  of  the  lines  as  read,  the  teacher  should  go  back 
to  the  last  pause  in  the  poem  and  re-read  the  section  smoothly  so  as  to  bring- 
out  the  charm  of  its  expression. 

The  main  thought  to  be  gathered  from  the  Introduction  is  that  the  stories 
to  follow^  are  part  of  the  old-time-  folk-lore  of  the  Indians.  But  the  class 
should  also  get  from  it  an  appreciation  for  the  cadence  and  harmony  of  the 
verses. 

The  Peace  Pipe. 

First  sketch  the  main  points  in  this  subdivision  of  the  poem.  Explain 
that  Gitche  Manito  was  the  Great  Spirit  or  God  of  the  Indians.  Show  his 
power  in  the  creation  of  river  and  river  course  and  his  goodness  to  the 
tribes  in  bringing  peace  among  them  and  in  promising  them  a  great  leader 
and  helper.  Explain  the  nature  of  the  Peace  Pipe  and  the  Peace  Pipe 
Ceremony.  Omit  none  of  the  bright  details  of  local  color  and  atmosphere, 
such  as  high  crags,  deep  forests,  red  pipe-stone  cliffs,  war  clubs,  feathers, 
and  buckskin  garments. 

Then  read  the  section  weaving  in  all  necessary  interpretation.  Especially 
show  how  harmoniously  the  supernatural  is  interwoven :  Thus,  the  smoke 
from  Gitche  Manito 's  peace  pipe  was  like  the  clouds  streaming  about  a 
mountain  top;  Nokomis  was  the  beautiful  falling  star;  the  voice  of  the 
South  Wind  was  soft  and  pleasant.  It  is  not  meant  by  this  that  a  laborious 
allegory  is  to  be  found  for  all  events  or  characters,  but  that  obvious  relations 
of  the  supernatural  to  the  natural  should  not  be  overlooked. 

New  iVames.— Under  this  head  are  found  here,  and  in  the  following  sug- 
gestions, such  names  as  occur  often  enough  or  prominently  enough  to  war- 
rant the  class  making   a  more  intimate   acquaintance   with   them.     Such 

(46) 


acquaintance  will  help  the  pupil  to  follow  the  story.  It  is  not  to  be 
thought,  however,  that  they  must  be  memorized  for  lasting  identification. 
Each  such  name  as  it  occurs  should  receive  emphasis  and  repetition,  and 
should  be  worked  into  the  expression  of  the  members  of  the  class.  Each  in 
turn,  as  it  is  met,  should  be  written  upon  the  blackboard  and  in  the  case  of 
specially  hard  words  the  class  should  pronounce  them  in  chorus. 
Calumet,  the  peace  pipe;    Gitche  Manito;   Dakotahs;    Ojibways. 

The  Four  Winds. 

Here  as  elsewhere,  save  in  parts  where  special  suggestion  is  made,  the 
plan  is  followed  of  telling  and  making  clear  the  story  and  then  of  reading 
and  interpreting  the  poem.  Minor  details  and  complexities  of  movement 
should  be  omitted  from  the  teacher's  narrative  save  where  they  are  impor- 
tant to  the  sense  or  vividness  of  the  story. 

The  following  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  story  involved  in  this  part  of  the 
poem :  Mudjekeewis  kills  the  Great  Bear  of  the  Mountains  and  is  made  the 
West  Wind  and  ruler  of  all  the  winds  for  his  prowess.  The  East  Wind, 
one  of  his  sons,  brings  the  dawn  and  wooes  and  wins  the  Morning  Star. 
The  North  Wind  brings  the  rigors  of  winter,  and  drives  southward  all 
creatures  except  Shingebis,  the  beaver,  who  builds  a  warm  house,  lays  in  a 
stock  of  fish,  and  laughs  at  the  fury  of  the  winter  cold.  The  story  of  the 
South  Wind  and  the  dandelion  needs  no  interpretation. 

Do  not  fail  to  bring  out  the  harmonious  attributes  of  each  of  the  winds. 
Which  winds  did  the  Indians  like  best?  Why?  Which  wind  did  they 
fear  most?     Why? 

Chalk  Sketch:  The  Beaver's  "winter  house. 

New  Names:  Mudjekeewis;  Wampum;  Keewaydin,  the  West  Wind; 
Shingebis,  the  beaver.  There  is  no  need  to  stress  the  names  of  the  other 
winds. 

Hiawatha  ^s  Childhood. 

The  story  of  the  coming  of  Nokomis,  the  Falling  Star,  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  touches  in  the  story  and  it  should  be  carefully  brought  out.  An 
especial  interest,  also,  is  to  be  found  in  the  education  of  Hiawatha :  the  lore 
he  gained  from  Nokomis  and  his  friendship  with  nature.  Emphasize 
Hiawatha's  knowledge  of  the  wilderness  and  his  youthful  skill  as  a  hunter. 
The  slaying  of  the  deer,  according  to  Indian  custom,  marked  the  beginning 
of  his  manhood. 

Chalk  Sketch:  1.  Nokomis 's  wigwam.  2.  Hiawatha  shooting  the  Eed 
Deer. 

New  Names:  Nokomis,  the  Falling  Star;  Hiawatha;  Gitche-Gumce,  Big- 
Sea- Water;  lagoo,  the  Boaster. 

Hiawatha  and  MudjekiJewis. 

Magic  gauntlets  and  sandals  hold  an  irresistible  charm  for  children  and 
should  be  given  due  exploitation  in  the  telling.  Note,  also,  the  pleasing 
way  in  which  the  natural  and  supernatural  intermingle  in  the  fight  between 
Hiawatha  and  Mudjekeewis. 

(47) 


Place  emphasis  upon  exploits  and  incidents  showing  forth  Hiawatha's 
strength  and  shrewdness. 

Bring  out  with  full  circumstance  the  beginning  of  the  hero's  love  for 
Minnehaha.     Here  begins  the  love  story  of  the  poem. 

New  Name:  Minnehaha. 

Hiawatha  ^s  Fasting. 

This  is,  the  story  of  how  Indians  came  to  possess  corn  for  food,— Mon- 
damin,  the  friend  of  mankind.  The  story  may  be  prefaced  by  questions 
and  answers  developing  the  idea  of  the  importance  of  corn  to  the  Indians 
and  showing  what  their  state  was  without  it. 

Do  not  try  to  weave  the  deeper  spiritual  meaning  into  the  story.  This 
secondary  meaning  is  beyond  the  appreciations  of  the  class.  When  reading 
to  the  class  clinch  the  meaning  and  sharpen  class  appreciation  by  frequent 
questions.  The  following  may  serve  as  illustrations,  but  they  must  be 
skillfully  woven  in  and  not  imposed  as  a  dry  quiz  or  drill : 

1.  When  Hiawatha  says,  ''Must  our  lives  depend  on  these  things?" 
What  was  the  cause  of  his  complaint?  Why  were  "these  things"  an 
uncertain  food  supply?     What  did  he  want  for  his  people? 

2.  Why  was  the  Great  Spirit,  the  Master  of  Life,  glad  to  listen  to  Hiawa- 
tha's prayer?  Was  it  better  for  him  to  pray  for  the  welfare  of  his  tribe  or 
for  success  in  hunting,  fishing,  and  fighting?     Why? 

3.  What  does  Hiawatha's  courage  in  wrestling  when  he  was  weak  from 
fasting  show  about  him  ? 

4.  After  reading  line  119:   Why  did  the  stars  seem  to  be  reeling? 

5.  Why  did  Hiawatha  refuse  the  food  that  Nokomis  brought  him?  What 
does  this  tell  us  about  him  ? 

6.  Who  has  seen  corn  growing  and  can  tell  the  class  about  it? 
New  Name:  Mondamin. 

Hiawatha's  Friends. 

Preface  the  presentation  of  this  section  with  a  few  questions  as  to  what 
sort  of  special  friends  Hiawatha  would  be  like  to  have.  Would  they  be 
brave  or  timid  ?  Kind  or  cruel  ?  Friends  and  helpers  of  all  the  people  or 
trouble  makers? 

Here,  for  the  first  time  in  the  poem,  there  is  no  need  to  tell  the  content 
before  reading  the  text.  Weave  in  all  necessary  interpretation  while  read- 
ing.    Develop  the  following: 

1.  What  other  strong  man  does  the  class  know  about?  (Hercules.) 
Was  he,  like  Kwasind,  a  friend  of  men  ? 

2.  What  sort  of  a  musician  must  Chibiabos  have  been  if  the  birds  and 
the  brook  wished  him  to  teach  them  his  music? 

3.  Who  has  ever  made  whistles  out  of  willow  and  maple  bark  or  cane 
joints?     (All  country  boys  will  understand  this  question.) 

4.  Which  do  you  like  best,  Chibiabos  or  Kwasind?     Why? 

(48) 


This  topic  contains  very  little  narrative  action  and  the  next  topic  should 
be  given,  if  possible,  in  the  same  lesson  with  it. 
New  Names:  Chibiabos;  Kwasind. 

Hiawatha's  Sailing. 

Introduce  this  story  by  questions  and  suggestions  as  to  how  the  Indians 
got  about  from  place  to  place.  This  will  interest  the  class  in  the  story  of 
how  Hiawatha  built  the  first  birch-bark  canoe.  Ask  the  class  if  they  have 
ever  seen  one  or  a  model  of  one.  If  possible  bring  or  have  some  pupil  bring 
a  model  to  class. 

First,  describe  a  birch-bark  canoe.  If  no  model  is  at  hand  work  in  a 
chalk  sketch.  Then  tell  how  Hiawatha's  invention  was  made:  how  the 
bark  was  stripped,  how  the  frame  was  shaped  and  lashed  together,  how  the 
birch  bark  was  sewed  together  with  strings  of  roots  or  leather  and  with  a 
bone  needle,  how  it  was  made  water-tight  with  pitch,  and  how  it  was 
decorated  with  porcupine  quills  in  color  designs.  Describe  how  swiftly  and 
silently  such  a  canoe  could  be  paddled  along,— just  the  thing  for  hunting, 
fishing,  or  fighting,— and  how  tough  and  light  it  was. 

Then,  read  the  poem.  Bring  out  each  detail  of  construction.  Make  it 
clear  that  this  was  a  supernatural  canoe,— that  it  went  just  as  its  maker 
wished.  Kwasind  should  figure  here  as  sharer  with  Hiawatha  in  opening 
the  river  for  the  people.  Bring  out  the  importance  and  usefulness  of  their 
work  to  the  whole  tribe.  Delight  in  good  service  well  done  is  one  of  the 
emotions  that  the  class  should  feel  in  following  this  and  many  other  inci- 
dents of  Hiawatha's  life.  Therefore  this  and  all  the  stories  in  the  poem 
should  help  to  establish  the  hero  as  a  helper  of  his  people. 

Hiawatha's  Fishing. 

The  telling  of  this  story  preceding  the  reading  of  it  should  consist  of  a 
bare  outline  of  its  events.  In  the  reading  that  follows  the  teacher  should 
interpret  the  several  effective  bits  of  figurative  description,  which  would 
otherwise  be  lost  to  the  class.  Thus  the  lines  12-13,  14-15,  23-24,  68-69, 
and  123  should  be  made  clear  by  between-the-line  comments. 

The  following  are  good  subjects  for  class  response  to  questions  thrown 
out  during  the  reading : 

1.  Would  you  say  that  Hiawatha  had  good  fishing  tackle? 

2.  What  is  a  sunfish? 

3.  What  other  man  was  swallowed  by  a  fish "? 

4.  Was  Tail-in-air  a  good  name  for  the  squirrel  ? 

5.  What  shows  how  the  birds  loved  Hiawatha? 

6.  What  part  of  the  story  do  you  like  best?  Why?  At  the  beginning 
of  this  story,  as  well  as  from  time  to  time  throughout  the  work,  the  teacher 
should  bring  out  the  fact  that  these  tales  are  myths  and  legends  of  the 
Indians, — old  stories  told  by  them  of  the  beginning  of  things  and  of  the 
exploits  of  a  great  hero,  a  veritable  Hercules,  Hiawatha.  With  that  in 
mind  and  in  that  spirit,  the  class  will  enjoy  each  supernatural  event  and 
each  exaggerated  adventure. 

4— BUL.  5  (49) 


Do  not  try  to  explain  away  the  impossible  in  this  or  any  of  the  other 
stories.  We  can  all  thoroughly  enjoy  it  without  believing  it  to  be  true  or 
without  even  questioning  its  truth, — just  as  one  should  enjoy  any  good  fish 
story. 

Chalk  Sketch :  Hiawatha  fishing  from  his  canoe  with  the  squirrel  perched 
upon  its  prow. 

New  Names:  Adjidaumo,  the  squirrel;  Nahma,  the  sturgeon,  king  of 
fishes ;  Kayoshk,  the  sea-gull. 

Hiawatha  and  the  Pearl  Feather.. 

Bring  out  clearly  the  dangers  that  stood  in  the  way  of  this  new  adventure 
of  Hiawatha :  the  distance  to  be  sailed  in  his  canoe ;  the  fiery  serpents,  (here 
is  a  good  place  to  allude  to  Jason  or  Cadmus;)  the  pitch-water  in  which 
the  canoe  was  in  danger  of  sticking  fast ;  and  finally  the  strength  of  Pearl 
Feather,  the  magician,  and  his  armor. 

Do  not  make  revenge  the  motive  for  Hiawatha's  expedition  against 
Pearl  Feather,  but  bring  out  with  emphasis  his  desire  to  rid  the  people  of 
the  fevers  and  pestilent  fogs  sent  out  by  the  magician.  Note,  also,  that 
Hiawatha  said  little  of  what  he  proposed  to  do  and  still  less  of  what  he  had 
done.  He  was  a  doer  not  a  talker.  Lines  175-181  should  be  interpreted  and 
used  as  a  basis  for  discussion  of  this  desire  on  the  hero's  part  to  let  his 
good  works  show  for  what  they  were  worth.  Emphasize  again  the  love 
of  birds  for  Hiawatha  by  making  the  most  of  how  the  woodpecker  helped 
him.  The  origin  of  the  red  crest  of  this  bird  makes  an  interesting  episode. 
Class  interest  will  always  be  aroused  over  myth  or  legend  which  can  be 
concluded, — ''and  so  it  is  to  this  day."  In  this  case  let  the  pupils  tell 
whether  or  not  the  woodpecker  still  has  his  blood-dyed  tuft  of  feathers. 

Hiav^atha's  Wooing. 

First,  recall  to  the  pupil's  mind  the  lonely  hut  of  the  old  arrow-maker 
and  his  beautiful  daughter  Minnehaha.  Then  briefly  sketch  the  story  of 
Hiawatha's  wooing. 

Emphasize  the  following  situations  while  reading  and  interpreting  the 
story : 

1.  Nokomis'  suspicious  fear  of  a  strange  woman. 

2.  Hiawatha's  desire  to  see  lasting  peace  between  the  Ojibways  and  the 
Dakotahs. 

3.  His  reception  by  the  old  arrow-maker.  (Why  did  the  arrow-maker 
have  his  wigwam  by  the  side  of  a  waterfall?  Do  you  suppose  that  the 
neighboring  fall- had  anything  to  do  with  the  name  of  his  daughter?) 

4.  The  willingness  of  the  old  man  to  let  his  daughter  go,  and  his  lone- 
someness  after  she  had  gone.  (Should  he  have  let  her  go?  Should  she 
have  gone?) 

5.  The  congratulatory  comments  of  the  birds,  sun,  moon,  and  other 
friends  of  Hiawatha. 

The  account  of  Hiawatha  and  Minnehaha  on  their  way  home  needs  no 

(50) 


comment  further  than  that  required  to  draw  out  the  meaning  that  all  nature 
was  happy  over  the  success  of  Hiawatha's  wooing. 

Do  not  omit  the  detail  of  Hiawatha's  magic  moccasins. 

Chalk  Sketch:  Hiawatha,  Minnehaha,  and  the  Old  Arrow-Maker  before 
the  latter 's  lodge. 

This  story  of  Hiawatha's  Wooing  is  beautifully  told  and  claims  a  full 
share  of  adult  interest.  It  lacks  adventures  and  spectacular  events,  how- 
ever, and  the  current  of  its  action  is  quiet  and  simple  and  interspersed  with 
philosophic  comments  concerning  love  and  matrimony.  It  is  therefore  not 
strong  in  its  claim  on  the  child's  appreciation  and  should  be  considered  in 
one  lesson  unit  along  with  the  story  of  Hiawatha's  wedding  feast,  which 
follows. 

Hiav^atha's  Wedding  Feast.  . 

Here,  as  in  the  preceding  topic,  there  is  absence  of  sufficient  movement  to 
make  a  plot.  The  telling  should  be  limited  to  a  short  outline  of  the 
elaborate  wedding  preparations  and  to  a  statement  of  how  the  various 
guests  entertained  the  company.  It  should  be  made  clear  that  this  was 
no  ordinary  wedding. 

The  incident  of  the  willow  wands  sent  out  for  invitations  to  the  feast  will 
be  of  interest  to  the  class  because  of  its  novelty.  The  teacher  should  be 
on  the  watch  for  all  such  passing  chances  to  bring  the  episodes  of  the  story 
into  contrast  or  comparison  with  present-day  things  already  familiar  to 
the  class. 

Chibiabos'  song  is  not  susceptible  to  grammar  grade  interpretation, 
and  should  not  be  dwelled  upon.  Read  it  to  the  class,  however,  with  all  the 
skill  possible  so  that  they  can  hear  its  music. 

Old  lagoo  also  proves  himself  to  be  an  entertaining  character.  Perhaps 
the  pupils  know  some  one  like  him. 

Bring  out,  again,  the  friendship  that  every  one  had  for  Hiawatha. 

Be  sure  and  make  clear  by  parenthetical  explanation  the  meaning  of 
the  following  obscure  terms:  pemmican;  (Ask  the  children  whether  they 
have  ever  seen  jerked  venison.)     otter;  willow- wand;  prairie. 

The  day's  work  should  end  with  a  promise  of  the  story  by  lagoo  for  the 
next  day. 

New  Names:  Pau-Puk-Keewis,  the  mischief-maker;  lagoo,  the  great 
boaster. 

The  Son  of  the  Evening  Star. 

This  story  told  by  lagoo  is  the  tale  of  the  punishment  of  those  who  make 
fun  of  others.  The  movement  of  events  is  considerably  involved  in  parts 
and  it  should  therefore  be  told  fully  before  reading. 

During  the  reading  the  following  effective  lines  should  be  carefully 
interpreted:    49;  99-103;  107-114;  156;  187;  295. 

Most  of  the  passages  may  be  expanded  and  given  full  meaning  through 
answers  drawn  from  the  class  by  leading  questions.  The  following  should 
be  brought  out  in  this  way: 

(51) 


1.  What  is  the  Evening  Star? 

2.  Did  the  wicked  sisters  and  their  husbands  deserve  their  fate  1 

3.  Do  you  think  that  Osseo  was  more  or  less  unhappy  than  he  had  been 
when  he  found  himself  young  and  his  wife  old  ? 

4.  Why  were  the  scolding,  tongue-lashing  sisters  turned  into  jays  and 
magpies  instead  of  into  canary  birds  or  robins? 

5.  What  is  our  nanle  for  the  little  people,  the  Puk-Wudjies? 

6.  Whf^t  did  lagoo  wish  to  teach  the  guests  ? 

The  second  song  of  Chibiabos,  lines  334-367,  should  be  read  but  not 
interpreted  or  discussed. 

The  Blessing  of  the  Corn  Fields. 

The  introductory  lines  1-24  should  be  expanded  into  a  clear  picture  of 
the  peace  and  comfort  that  Hiawatha  had  brought  to  his  people.  Show 
how  much  better  off  they  were  than  when  they  were  at  war. 

The  following  lines  deserve  and  need  special  care  in  interpretation: 
16-17;  43-45;  152;  171-172;  209-227.     (Note,  "Ugh!"  means  "Yes.") 

Weave  in  the  following: — 

1.  Why  did  the  Indians  think  so  much  of  their  corn  ? 

2.  Have  you  ever  seen  Way-Muk-Kwana,  the  king  of  caterpillars,  with 
the  bearskin? 

3.  Why  were  the  ravens  enemies  of  Hiawatha? 

4.  Is  Kahgahgee  a  good  name  for  the  ravens? 

5.  Let  the  class  bring  out  our  old  tradition  of  the  red  ear  of  corn. 

6.  How  did  the  Indians  divide  their  work?  Wasn't  it  selfish  for  the 
warriors  to  do  nothing  but  hunt,  fish  and  fight,  and  leave  the  home  work 
and  harvesting  to  the  women?  (Bring  out  the  fact  that  hunting  and 
fishing  was  a  hard  and  dangerous  way  to  make  a  living,  and  that  the 
warrior  worked  at  this  for  a  living  much  as  any  workman  to-day  works 
at  his  trade.) 

New  Name:     Kahgahgee. 

Pi€ture  Writing. 

In  lines  1-34  we  find  a  good  summary  of  the  use  of  writing.  Develop  this 
idea  clearly  by  drawing  out  from  the  class  other  uses  besides  those  mentioned 
in  the  text.  Then  bring  out  the  point  that  the  Indians  did  not  know  how  to 
write  and  that  Hiawatha  undertook  to  teach  them. 

In  the  telling  and  the  reading  that  follows  bring  out  each  of  the  following : 

1.  The  great  need  of  the  people  for  some  way  to  write. 

2.  The  Avriting  materials  used  by  Hiawatha. 

3.  Each  symbol  should  first  be  given  and  then  the  class  should  help  in 
working  out  its  meaning.  The  blackboard  should  be  used  here.  Other 
picture  symbols  can  be  brought  in  by  the  teacher  from  histories  and  books 
on  the  Indians. 

(See, — Starr:    American  Indians:  pp.  65-73. 
Bass :    Stories  of  Pioneer  Life;  pp.  9-10. 
Wade:     Our  Little  Indian  Cousin;  pp.  40-44.) 

(52) 


4.  What  was  a  totem  and  a  totem  pole?  Why  were  animals, — bear, 
beaver,  turtle,  etc., — chosen  as  totems? 

5.  Allow  the  children  to  add  new  picture  phrases  to  those  on  the  board 
and  to  write  a  sentence  in  picture  symbols. 

A  keen  appreciation  of  this  phase  of  the  story  can  be  developed,  and 
at  the  same  time  a  desirable  acquaintance  with  picture  writing  will  be 
secured. 

Hiawatha's  Lamentation. 

The  interest  of  this  topic  is  twofold :  first,  the  interest  in  the  story  of 
the  death  of  the  admirable  Chibiabos  and  his  faring  to  the  land  of  the 
dead;  second,  the  interest  in  Indian  ways  and  customs  skillfully  inter- 
woven by  the  author.  The  topic  should  be  carefully  told  so  as  to  bring 
out  the  narrative  before  it  is  read  to  the  class.  Then  during  the  reading 
should  be  interjected  the  necessary  expansion  and  interpretation  of  the 
customs  described  or  mentioned  therein. 

In  telling  the  story,  proper  stress  should  be  laid  on  Hiawatha's  love  of 
Chibiabos  and  his  regret  over  his  death ;  also  the  sorrow  of  nature  for  the 
loss  of  the  singer. 

Then  should  be  brought  in  the  work  of  the  medicine  men  and  the  trip 
of  the  spirit  of  Chibiabos  to  Ponemah,  the  land  of  the  departed. 

The  principal  lines  and  topics  that  deserve  careful  exploitation  during 
the  reading  are  as  follows : 

1.  Lines  1-43,  in  which  are  found  the  menace  of  the  spirits,  Hiawatha's 
warning,  Chibiabos 's  recklessness  and  the  fate  that  overtook  him. 

2.  Lines  87-154.  Here  is  the  custom  of  medicine  making  well  illustrated. 
The  teacher  should  enlarge  upon  the  event  until  the  class  see  the  chief 
medicine  man  dressed  as  a  great  gray  eagle  pouring  out  his  incantations 
and  charms  upon  the  melancholy  Hiawatha.  Describe  the  rattles,  tom-toms, 
snake-skins,  and  strings  of  wampum  used  by  him,  and  the  babel  of  chorus 
that  accompanied  his  efforts. 

3.  Lines  196-208.  In  this  passage  are  seen  the  spirits  of  the  dead  on 
their  way  to  Ponemah  and  through  it  the  teacher  should  carry  to  the 
children  some  idea  of  the  burial  customs  of  the  Indians ;  how  when  a 
member  of  a  tribe  died  his  family  placed  clothing,  food,  firewood,  pots  and 
vessels,  pipe,  tobacco,  bow  and  arrows,  and  sometimes  even  the  body  of  his 
favorite  horse  in  and  over  the  grave  so  that  he  would  not  be  without  the 
necessaries  of  spirit-land  life.  Perhaps  some  of  the  children  have  seen 
relics  taken  from  such  graves  or  the  graves  themselves.  Always  be  eager 
to  bring  the  experiences  of  the  children  thus  into  touch  with  the  content 
of  the  work. 

The  story  of  Chibiabos 's  ghostly  visit  to  the  village  should  be  read 
as  written  in  the  poem,  but  deserves  no  amplification.  Ghosts,  especially 
Indian  ghosts,  should  be  left  as  far  as  possible  without  the  imaginations 
of  children.  Any  effort  to  make  vivid  this  ghost  scene  will  do  more  harm 
than  good. 

Neiv  Name:  Ponemah. 

(53) 


Pau-Puk-Keewis;   aTid  Th!e  Hunting  of  Pau-Puk-Keewis. 

These  two  topics  have  been  united  because  they  are  in  fact  but  one  story : 
the  mischief  of  Pau-^Puk-Keewis  and  its  punishment  at  the  hands  of 
Hiawatha.  The  whole  story  should  be  fully  told  and  then  read  with 
interpretation  interwoven.     The  following  should  be  carefully  developed: 

1.  The  interesting  story  told  by  old  lagoo  of  how  pleasant  weather  was 
let  out  of  heaven. 

2.  The  eagerness  with  which  the  Indians  went  to  gambling  and  the  con- 
tinual winning  by  Pau-Puk-Keewis.  Without  tagging  it  on  in  so  many 
words  an  excellent  moral  should  be  made  to  stand  out  in  this :  the  folly  and 
unhappiness  attending  gambling. 

3.  The  mischief  of  Pau-Puk-Keewis  at  the  lodge  of  Hiawatha.  (Be  sure 
that  the  class  know  that  a  lodge  was  simply  a  wigwam  of  hides  stretched 
on  poles.) 

4.  The  wanton  slaughter  of  Hiawatha's  friends,  the  sea-gulls. 

5.  Hiawatha's  just  anger. 

6.  The  many  transformations  through  which  Pau-Puk-Keewis  attempted 
to  avoid  detection.  (This  should  arouse  memories  of  Hercules  in  his 
struggle  with  the  Old  Man  of  the  Sea.) 

7.  How  Hiawatha  tempered  the  fate  of  Pau-Puk-Keewis  by  giving  his 
soul  the  body  of  the  great  war  eagle. 

The  following  lines  should  be  made  clear  with  special  care;  otherwise 
valuable  detail  will  be  lost  to  the  class : 

Pau-Puk-Keewis:  118-122;  219-220;  228-229. 

The  Hunting  of  Pau-Puk-Keewis:  1-16;  132;  139-141;  191,  (What  are 
brant?);   293;   359-366. 

Throughout  this  story,  as  elsewhere,  keep  before  the  class  the  conception  of 
Hiawatha  as  a  helper  and  friend  of  men,  striving  to  destroy  their  enemies 
and  make  life  pleasanter  to  them. 

The  Death  of  Kwasind. 

Recall  the  friendship  between  Hiawatha  and  Kwasind  and  recount  some 
of  their  youthful  exploits.  Then  briefly  sketch  the  plot  of  the  fairies,  the 
Puk-Wudjies,  and  its  execution  as  preliminary  explanation  to  the  reading 
of  the  poem. 

The  following  are  the  most  interesting  details  and  should  be  fully  inter- 
preted in  the  reading : 

1.  The  secret  of  Kwasind 's  vulnerability.  (Here  we  have  a  close  parallel 
to  the  charmed  life  of  Achilles.) 

2.  How  the  spirit  of  sleep  overcame  Kwasind.  Here  is  a  good  oppor- 
tunity to  compare  the  sand-man  sleep  theory  with  the  Indian  theory  based 
on  the  activities  of  sleep  spirits  wielding  tiny  war-clubs. 

3.  Line  102. 

4.  Lines  119-120.  Bring  this  into  the  experiences  of  the  children  by 
having  them  recall  the  sounds  of  the  trees  when  a  storm  rages  at  night. 

Throughout,  wherever  he  appears,  Kwasind  should  be  portrayed  as  a 

(54) 


kindly,  powerful,  giant  of  a  man,  ponderous  in  his  strength  but  dull  and 
stupid  in  mind. 

In  the  death  of  Kwasind,  loved  by  Hiawatha,  comes  another  hint  of  the 
passing  of  Hiawatha.  Here  is  a  good  place  to  review  the  facts  of  the  death 
of  Chibiabos  and  the  insults  by  Pau-Puk-Keewis.  Hiawatha,  like  other 
men,  is  not  immune  from  trouble. 

New  Name:  The  Puk-Wudjies. 

Ghosts. 

This  topic  must  be  omitted.  It  is  a  ghost  story  of  the  most  hair-raising, 
bedtime-haunting  sort  and  has  no  business  being  told  to  children.  If  the 
teacher  is  able  to  re-cast  it  so  that  the  ghosts  crouching  in  the  corner  are 
simply  ill-mannered  messengers  from  Ponemah,  the  land  of  the  departed, 
enough  may  be  left  to  tell  to  bring  out  the  patient  hospitality  of  Hiawatha 
and  his  household.  This  unquestioning,  uncomplaining  kindness  to  guests 
is  an  Indian  characteristic  that  should  be  given  all  the  illustration  possible; 
but  not  at  the  expense  of  introducing  to  the  children  memory  pictures  that 
will  make  twilight  and  bedtime  periods  of  misery  for  them. 

The  Famine. 

Go  back  into  the  last  topic  and  use  lines  1-18  as  the  introduction  to  this. 
First  tell  the  story,  bringing  out  the  horror  of  sickness  and  hunger  in  the 
skin-covered  wigwam  among  the  snow-drifts.  Describe  how  the  birds  and 
beasts  were  all  dead  or  had  fled  away  to  the  south ;  how  Hiawatha  saw  his 
wife  growing  fainter  each  day  as  he  returned  from  ranging  the  forests  for 
food;  how  old  Nokomis  watched  over  her  and  kept  the  fire  burning;  and 
finally,  while  Hiawatha  was  away  seeking  madly  for  something  to  bring  back 
for  Minnehaha  to  eat,  how  she  left  him  to  go  on  the  long  journey  to  the  land 
of  Ponemah. 

Then  read  the  poem.  It  is  full  of  touching  situations  that  will  grip  and 
hold  the  class  in  proportion  as  the  interpretation  is  well  done. 

Lay  special  stress  in  developing  the  following: 

1.  The  severity  of  the  winter:  how  all  living  things  that  might  have 
been  used  for  food  were  gone;  how  hunters  were  frozen  empty-handed  in 
the  snow;  how  the  people  suffered  and  died  on  all  hands. 

2.  Hiawatha's  search  for  food.  Do  not  fail  to  make  the  most  of  the  con- 
trast in  lines  78-88. 

3.  The  death  of  Minnehaha.  Bring  out  the  visions  that  she  saw  as  she 
was  dying:  how  she  heard  the  old  waterfall  and  saw  her  father  standing 
beckoning  to  her  from  the  door-way  of  his  lonesome  wigwam. 

4.  Hiawatha's  loss.  This  is  typically  suggested  in  lines  140-142.  Expand 
their  meaning  and  add  to  them  the  loss  of  her  presence  in  his  wigwam  and 
her  help  in  all  his  good  works.  Strengthen  the  prophecy  of  the  passing  of 
Hiawatha  by  drawing  the  full  meaning  out  of  lines  176-180. 

The  custom  of  the  graveside  fire  should  be  made  vivid.  Bring  .out,  also, 
the  fact  that  Hiawatha,  while  suffering  such  a  loss,  was  still  thinking  of 
the  happiness  of  Minnehaha.     Lines  168-173  are  the  key  to  this. 

(55) 


The  White  Man^s  Foot;  and  Hiawatha's  Departure. 

These  topics  form  the  last  step  in  the  story  of  Hiawatha  and  should 
be  treated  together.  Tell  the  story  briefly,  prefacing  it  with  an  outline  of 
the  story  of  the  coming  of  spring,  lines  1-135.  Do  not  attempt  to  bring  out 
allegorical  or  philosophical  reflections  from  the  simple  events. 

In  the  reading  the  following  should  be  explained  fully: 

1.  How  the  Spring  met  and  conquered  the  cruel  Winter.  Make  vivid 
the  details  of  the  coming  warmth  and  new  life  by  full  interpretation  of 
lines  84-109. 

2.  The  wonderful  news  brought  by  lagoo.  Let  the  class  interpret  his 
strange  story  in  the  light  of  their  knowledge  of  what  he  was  telling  the 
people  about. 

3.  Hiawatha's  vision.  Here  should  be  brought  in  the  note  of  sadness  and 
regret  to  which  we  commonly  respond  when  considering  the  passing  of 
the  Indian.  Vivify  it  with  concrete  details  of  what  was  to  come :  the  west- 
ward march,  the  cold  and  hunger,  the  warfare  and  suffering,  the  loss  of  the 
old  pleasant  village  site  with  its  well-filled  wigwams  and  its  resources  of 
forest  and  stream  and  maize  patch. 

4.  How  Hiawatha  entertained  the  white  men.  Here  is  a  chance  to  make 
the  very  most  of  Indian  hospitality. 

5.  Bring  out  the  idea  that  Hiawatha  and  his  ways  were  now  to  pass  and 
new  guides  and  manners  were  to  come.  That  the  work  of  the  Indian  leader 
was  over  and  that  the  white  leader  was  to  take  his  place,  with  his  new 
messages  and  commands. 

6.  The  departure  of  Hiawatha  is  properly  enough  set  in  the  most  beau- 
tiful verses  of  the  whole  poem.  It  needs  little  -interpretation.  Bring  out 
the  glory  of  his  departure ;  that  it  was  the  passing  of  one  who  had  long  been 
friend  and  leader  and  helper  of  his  people  and  who  left  behind  him  the 
record  of  his  kindness  and  helpfulness.  Weave  in  also  a  touch  of  sug- 
gestion that  he  was  going  to  rejoin  Minnehaha,  Chibiabos,  and  Kwasind. 
Do  not  let  the  class  miss  the  sadness  of  the  people  and  of  nature  over  his 
departure.  But  above  all  read  and,  as  the  necessary  interpretation  is  inter- 
woven, re-read  the  lines  so  as  to  bring  out  the  beauty  of  their  music  and  the 
depth  of  harmony  between  their  beauty  and  the  splendor  and  glory  of  the 
passing.  It  will  be  strange,  indeed,  if  after  the  teacher  has  sounded  the 
lines  to  herself  so  as  to  catch  their  rich  and  melancholy  music  they  fail  to 
exert  their  spell  over  the  feelings  of  the  class. 

Memory  Work.  ;, 

When  the  poem  has  been  finished  let  the  pupils  discuss  the  question  as  to 
what  stories  they  like  best.  Have  them  point  out,  also,  the  parts  of  the 
poem  which  they  consider  the  most  beautiful.  Fl-om  these  parts  the  teacher 
should  choose  selections  not  to  exceed  thirty  lines  in  all  for  memorization  by 
the  class. 


(56) 


Cumulative  Review. 

1.  Who  wrote  the  poem  Hiawatha? 

2.  What  other  great  poem  did  he  write  1 

3.  What  is  the  poem  Hiawatha  about?  (Ans. — It  tells  how  a  great 
Indian  hero,  Hiawatha,  came  to  help  and  teach  his  people.) 

4.  What  is  a  birch-bark  canoe? 

5.  What  is  a  totem? 

6.  What  was  the  custom  of  the  peace  pipe  ? 

7.  What  weapons  did  the  Indians  use? 

8.  What  food  did  they  have? 

9.  What  were  medicine  men  and  what  did  they  do  ? 

10.  What  sort  of  houses  did  the  Indians  have? 

11.  How  did  they  write  ? 

12.  How  did  the  Indians  treat  visitors? 

13.  What  did  they  believe  became  of  spirits  after  death  ? 

14.  What  was  the  work  of  the  men? 

15.  What  was  the  work  of  the  women? 

16.  What  sort  of  stories  did  the  Indians  tell?  (Ans. — Stories  about  the 
woods ;  and  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars, — and  the  seasons ;  and  animals,  birds, 
and  fishes;  and  great  adventures;  and  about  the  beginning  of  things.) 

17.  Repeat  from  memory  the  parts  of  the  poem  which  you  like  best  of  all. 

Fop  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  100.) 

Other  Well-known  Works  by  Longfellow: 

The  Village  Blacksmith. 

The  Ride  of  Paul  Revere. 

Miles  Standish. 
General  Reading: 

Hall:    Homeric  Stories. 

Kingsley:     Greek  Heroes. 

Baldwin:    Old  Greek  Stories. 

Shaw:    Stories  of  the  Ancient  Greeks. 

Hawthorne :    Wonder  Book. 

Kipling:    Jungle  Book. 

Kipling:    Second  Jungle  Book. 

Seton:     Wild  Animals  I  have  known. 

Seton:     Two  Little  Savages. 

Special  Reading: 

Indian  life,  and  to  some  degree  Indian  legend,  are  known  to  all.  There 
is  something  in  the  primitive  simplicity,  swift  movement,  and  stirring 
action  in  both  that  specially  claims  the  hearts  of  children.  It  will  be  well, 
therefore,  and  not  difficult  if  the  story  of  Hiawatha  has  been  well  taught, 
to  get  the  class  to  read  other  accounts  dealing  with  Indian  life  so  as  to 
strengthen  their  fund  of  knowledge  and  to  build  up  still  more  strongly  their 
feelings  into  the  common  attitudes  with  which  we  conventionally  view 

(57) 


that  life.     The  following  references  are  suggested  as  available  for  this 
purpose : 

Snedden :    Docas,  the  Indian  Boy. 

Custer:    Boots  and  Saddles. 

Starr:    American  Indians. 

Bass :    Stories  of  Pioneer  Life. 

Brooks :    Story  of  the  American  Indian. 

Baylor:    Juan  and  Juanita. 

Stoddard :     Talking  Leaves. 

Stoddard:    Two  Arrows. 

Eggleston :    The  Big  Brother. 

Grinnell:    Jack  Among  the  Indians. 

Parkman :  Oregon  Trail. 

Jackson:    Ramona. 


(58) 


LVANGLLINL 


General  Remarks  and  Suggestions. 

What  are  the  results  to  be  obtained  through  skillful  teaching  of  Long- 
fellow's Evangeline  f  First,  an  appreciation  of  the  peace  and  beauty 
in  the  simple  Acadian  life.  In  these  busy  days,  with  modern  conven- 
iences and  inconveniences  on  every  hand,  it  is  good  for  nerves,  spirits, 
and  ideals  to  stand  in  the  cool  evening  on  the  low  foothills  back  of  Grand 
Pre  and  to  see  the  pleasant  village  street  with  its  few  well-known,  simple 
figures:  the  priest  on  his  errand,  the  blacksmith  at  his  door,  the  milkmaid 
on  her  way,  the  workmen  coming  from  labor ;  and  to  hear  the  village  sounds 
speaking  of  comfort  and  simple  contentment;  and  to  watch  the  pale  blue 
columns  of  smoke  rise  straight  into  the  air  from  the  wide  old-fashioned 
chimney  mouths.  It  is  well,  too,  to  visit  Evangeline's  home,  with  its 
thrift,  its  comfort,  its  atmosphere  of  quiet  affection  and  good  faith  in 
man  and  God.  The  first  object  of  the  work  is  thus  to  build  up  an  emotional 
stand  in  favor  of  the  peace  and  happiness  and  true  worth  of  the  simple  life. 
After  this  has  been  done  the  class  will  see  what  a  tragedy  there  was  in  the 
shattering  of  that  life  by  the  deportation  of  the  Acadians. 

Second,  the  development  of  such  poetic  appreciations  in  the  children  as 
may  be  induced  by  the  beauty  of  those  lines  in  which  child  interest  may  most 
easily  be  aroused. 

Third,  an  admiration  of  Evangeline  as  the  ideal  of  womanly  devotion; 
as  the  type  of  woman  whose  affections  are  too  deep  to  be  shaken  by  the 
avalanches  of  fate. 

Fourth,  a  full  measure  of  sympathy  for  the  heroine  in  all  her  expectations 
and  disappointments. 

In  several  respects  this  poem  offers  serious  problems  to  the  teacher  who 
proposes  to  present  it  to  a  grammar  school  class.  In  the  first  place  the  plot 
moves  with  cumbrous  slowness,  and,  however  much  this  may  appeal  to  liter- 
ary epicures,  children  are  not  warmed  by  such  ponderous  and  stately  trend 
of  events.  Pages  and  pages  are  to  be  found  with  no  significant  headway  in 
the  plot;  character  after  character  is  introduced, — circumstantially  intro- 
duced,— only  to  drain  a  tankard  or  to  point  out  a  trail,  or  to  shelter  the 
wandering  heroine  over  night.  Scores  of  lines,  too,  are  devoted  to  land- 
scape descriptions  of  things  not  at  all  essentially  involved  in  the  action 
of  the  story.  Such  action  as  there  is  is  in  part  too  refined  in  motive 
and  too  in^lved  in  expression  to  touch  the  primitive  and  elemental  springs 
of  feelings  predominant  in  childhood. 

The  form  of  the  poem,  harmonizing  as  it  does  with  the  content,  is  another 
difficulty.     It  hangs  the  action  of  the  characters  with  the  trappings  of 

(59) 


some  cumbrous  pageant ;  it  is  devoid  of  rhyme ;  it  is  rarely  spirited ;  it  has 
an  overflowing  measure  of  inverted  constructions.  All  this  may  or  may 
not  impair  the  poem  as  a  masterpiece ;  but  taken  in  the  aggregate  it  certainly 
does  complicate  the  difficulty  of  presenting  it  with  effect  to  the  grammar 
grade  children.  These  preliminary  remarks  will  help  to  explain  some 
of  the  omissions  suggested  in  the  following  pages.  They  should  also  serve 
to  caution  the  teacher  of  the  ever  important  fact,  here  doubly  important, 
that  strong  feelings  of  appreciation  on  her  part  and  carefully  interwoven 
interpretation  are  necessary  for  results  in  the  classroom. 

Preparation  and  Presentation. 

The  story  should  first  be  told  by  the  teacher  without  classroom  use  of  the 
poem.  The  characters  of  rea^  importance  are:  Evangeline,  Gabriel,  Bene- 
dict, Basil,  and  the  Priest.  Each  of  these  should  be  introduced  and  known 
by  name  or  title.  The  names  of  the  following  places,  regions,  etc.,  are 
important:  Acadia,  Grand  Pre,  Mississippi  Eiver,  Avestern  prairies,  and 
Philadelphia.  Each  unfamiliar  name  of  person  or  place  should  be  written 
on  the  blackboard  at  the  time  when  it  occurs  in  the  telling. 

The  events  up  to  the  deportation  of  the  Acadians  should  receive  the  fullest 
emphasis,  for  most  of  the  story  is  found  in  this.  Describe,  first,  the  happy 
state  of  the  blameless  Acadians.  Here  will  be  found  place  for  all  the 
details  of  village  and  rural  life  set  forth  in  the  poem.  The  picture  of  the 
village  and  its  neighborhood,  of  the  evening  peace  and  contentment,  and 
of  Evangeline's  home,  should  be  sketched  with  all  the  circumstances  that 
the  poem  affords.  This  preliminary  description  should  be  introduced 
because  it  serves  as  the  basis  for  a  current  idea  of  Acadian  life.  Its  intro- 
duction is  in  defiance  of  a  sound  rule  of  story-telling,  namely,  that  no 
elaborate  description  should  be  indulged  in  unless  it  be  introduced  in  some 
vital  relation  to  the  actions  and  fortunes  of  the  characters.  The  best 
that  can  be  done  in  this  necessary  violation  of  a  common-sense  rule  is  to 
make  the  village  and  farm  scene  as  crisp,  clear,  and  quaint  as  possible. 
Hence,  use  all  the  excellent  details  contained  in  lines  20-102.  A  sketch 
map  of  the  village,  river,  hill,  and  basin  will  be  helpful. 

Then  should  follow  the  events  of  the  betrothal,  in  which  should  be 
brought  out  the  peace  and  quiet  affection  of  a  good  homely  home.  The 
first  hint  of  the  coming  misery  should  be  introduced  here  in  the  form 
of  the  prophecy  of  e\\l  to  befall  supplied  by  the  doubts  and  fears  of  the 
practical  Basil. 

The  next  scene  to  be  vividly  drawn  is  the  mass  meeting  at  the  church. 
In  the  details  leading  up  to  this  the  rumor  of  trouble  to  come  should  be 
skillfully  insinuated  so  that  the  final  climax  in  the  form  of  the  English 
order  of  deportation  comes  as  a  half-expected  catastrophe. 

Then  should  be  drawn  the  fear,  and  confusion,  and  misery  of  the 
embarkation,  in  which  a  sharp  contrast  is  found  with  the  peaceful  happiness 
of  the  day  before.  The  death  of  Evangeline's  father  typifies  the  passing 
of  all  the  simple  contentment  that  had  been  the  fortune  of  the  simple 
Acadians  up  to  that  time. 

(60) 


Meanwhile,  Evangeline  should  be  constantly  kept  in  view.  In  the 
sudden  shifting  of  events  she  is  suddenly  deprived  of  home,  father,  and, 
as  a  final  tragic  blow,  of  the  affianced  lover  upon  whom  all  her  affections 
centered  after  the  death  of  her  father.  Her  sufferings,  if  made  vivid,  will 
typify  the  sufferings  of  her  people,  and  at  the  same  time  they  will  arouse 
in  the  class  the  sympathy  that  is  always  inspired  by  the  pathos  and  tragedy 
of  personal  misfortune.  The  tenderness  and  beauty  of  character  of  the 
sufferer,  her  sublime  resignation  and  unfailing  faith,  should  add  intensity 
to  the  emotions  here  experienced  by  the  class. 

After  the  ships  have  weighed  anchor  and  the  miserable  exiles  have  left 
their  homes  in  flames,  the  second  stage  of  the  story  is  at  hand.  In  this 
we  have  the  vain  efforts  of  Evangeline  to  find  her  lover.  The  general 
impression  to  be  given  the  class  from  this  act  of  the  tragedy  is  that 
Evangeline  followed  Gabriel  and  the  rumors  of  Gabriel  from  place  to  place, 
through  hardship  after  hardship,  until  after  the  noontime  of  her  life  was 
spent  she  heard  that  he  was  dead.  This  portion  of  the  story  claims  about 
one  half  of  the  whole  poem,  but  the  teacher's  narration  of  it  should  be 
materially  curtailed.    She  should  bring  out  the  following  episodes : 

1.  The  trip  down  the  Mississippi  to  Basil's  new  home.  Bring  out  how 
Gabriel  passed  Evangeline  by  night  on  the  river.  This  is  the  great  tragic 
moment  of  the  story  and  the  class  should  not  fail  to  grasp  the  meaning  of  it. 
The  teacher  will  find  the  details  of  the  account  of  the  incident  as  given 
in  the  poem  an  excellent  guide  to  follow  in  shaping  her  narrative.  A  simple 
chalk  sketch  will  materially  heighten  the  effect. 

2.  The  pursuit  from  one  camping  place  to  another  on  the  broad  prairie. 

3.  The  vain  waiting  at  the  Jesuit  mission. 

4.  The  search  carried  to  the  deserted  hunter's  cabin  in  the  far  north. 

5.  Summarize  other  unsuccessful  quests  as  is  done  in  lines  1239-125i. 
Not  more  than  one  period  should  be  consumed  in  recounting  the  whole 
of  this  vain  search.  Enough  setting  of  circumstances  should  be  wrapped 
about  each  of  the  above  to  show :  first,  the  love  and  constancy  of  the  heroine ; 
second,  the  dangers  and  hardships  that  she  faced ;  and  third,  the  bitterness 
of  each  succeeding  disappointment. 

All  deliberate,  formal  analysis  of  Evangeline's  heart  should  be  omitted. 
Her  acts  are  the  best  expressions  of  her  wonderful  faith  and  her  unwavering 
determination.  Therefore,  the  emphasis  should  fall  on  what  she  says  and 
dares  to  do  rather  than  on  deliberate  analysis  of  her  states  of  mind. 
Character  is  best  described,  just  as  it  is  best  made,  in  terms  of  what  one 
does.  So,  also,  all  of  the  purely  objective  description  should  be  omitted 
from  the  narration.  Such  conditions  as  affect  or  are  affected  by  the  fortune 
of  the  heroine  are  of  course  vital  to  the  story,  but  they  should  be  set 
forth  in  relation  to  her  fortunes  and  not  as  descriptive  digressions  from  the 
narrative.  Thus  the  quiet,  peaceful  home  of  her  father  should  be  described 
by  weaving  it  into  the  fortunes  of  Evangeline  at  the  time  of  her  betrothal. 
So,  also,  the  fearful  night  scene  on  the  beach  should  be  seen  through  her 
eyes  and  interests.  The  gloomy  shores  of  the  river,  long  miles  of  prairie, 
hills  and  mountains,  scattering  farm  houses  and  Jesuit  mission,  abandoned 

(61) 


hunter's  lodge, — each  is  of  interest  only  in  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  progress 
of  the  plot  and  affects  the  welfare  of  the  heroine.  If  the  river  is  gloomy 
it  is  in  harmony  with  the  searching  girl's  feelings;  if  the  plains  are  wide, 
the  mountains  high,  it  is  all  real  only  in  the  terms  of  her  hardships  and 
patience. 

The  third  act  of  the  drama  is  the  shortest  of  all.  Here  we  find  Evangeline 
as  a  sister  of  mercy,  caring  for  the  fever-stricken.  Do  not  fail  to  mark  the 
lapse  of  time  by  the  description  of  Evangeline  as  she  now  appears.  Bring 
out  the  fact  that  her  faithful  love  w^as  still  strong;  yet  how,  in  the  loss 
of  her  lover,  she  gave  a  share  of  the  love  of  her  full  heart  to  the  suffering 
and  friendless.  The  premonition  of  a  tragic  climax  as  she  passes  into  the 
hospital  for  the  last  time  should  be  skillfully  aroused.  A  feeling  for  the 
mysterious  and  a  desire  to  speculate  upon  what  the  fates  have  in  store 
for  us  is  strong  in  all  of  us  and  especially  strong  in  children.  This  story 
has  three  tragic  premonitory  shadows  of  fate :  first,  the  suggestion  of  danger 
to  the  Acadians ;  second,  the  frequent  prophecies  of  failure  in  Evangeline 's 
various  searches  for  Gabriel;  third,  the  final  hint  of  something  tragic 
just  at  hand  that  is  in  the  air  as  Evangeline  enters  the  hospital  for  the 
last  time. 

The  final  scene  in  the  discovery  of  the  dying  Gabriel  and  the  triumph 
of  Evangeline's  undying  love  can  scarcely  be  mistold.  Do  not  be  afraid 
to  put  feeling  into  it, — ^to  use  the  exclamation,  the  present  tense,  direct 
discourse,  and  other  available  means  of  forceful  narration. 

After  the  story  has  been  told,  which  will  require  about  four  lesson  units, 
the  poem  should  be  read  by  the  teacher  to  the  class,  the  pupils  following  the 
reading  on  their  own  books.  In  this  reading  the  following  parts  should  be 
carefully  brought  out  by  emphasis  in  reading  and  interpretation :  descrip- 
tion of  Grand  Pre;  the  events  of  the  betrothal;  hints  of  trouble  to  come 
from  the  English;  the  embarkation;  the  principal  details  of  Evangeline's 
search;  (See  preceding  suggestions;)  the  work  of  Evangeline  as  a  sister  of 
mercy;  the  final  discovery  of  Gabriel. 

The  portions  dealing  with  character  analysis  and  detached  descriptions 
should  be  omitted  from  this  class  treatment  of  the  text.  The  following 
lines  will  properly  fall  under  this  exclusion:  268-287,  357-381,  745-778, 
888-910,  959-1058,  1080-1105,  1116-1164,  (this  should  be  summarized  by 
the  statement  that  a  wandering  Indian  woman  joined  Evangeline's  party,) 
1177-1186,  1217-1226.  Care  of  course  should  be  taken  to  unite  any 
breaks  in  the  story  caused  by  these  omissions..  Any  one  who  is  tempted 
to  resent  the  abridgment  of  the  poem  by  the  omission  of  these  parts  should 
remember  that  the  masterpiece  is  not  being  presented  to  adults  with  keenly 
defined  literary  tastes,  but  to  children  who  will  be  making  a  great  gain 
if  they  but  rise  to  an  enjoyment  of  the  brisker  narrative  portions.  It  is 
the  sad  and  beautiful  story  of  Evangeline  that  should  bear  the  emphasis. 
The  fact  that  the  poet  has  interlarded  the  events  of  this  story  with  sheer 
description  and  analysis  is  one  of  the  prime  reasons  why  the  poem  is 
rarely  read  by  the  average  reader,  except  under  compulsion  of  a  course  of 
study. 

(62) 


The  general  method  to  be  employed  in  the  reading  and  interpreting  is 
detailed  in  the  suggestions  for  the  presentation  of  Macaulay's  Horatius. 
(See  pages  31-32.) 

Members  of  the  class  should  not  be  called  upon  to  read  parts  of  the 
poem  aloud.  Such  a  proceeding  has  absolutely  no  use  as  a  class  method  in 
dealing  with  this  selection  as  literature,  and  no  one  will  be  found  to  urge 
the  poem  as  a  reading  lesson.  But  in  case  pupils  wish  to  justify  an  opinion 
or  feeling  or  conclusion  by  reference  to  the  lines,  they  should  be  encouraged 
to  read  the  parts  bearing  on  the  matter.  Thus  one  may  say  that  in  his 
opinion  the  Acadians  were  better  off  after  their  exile  than  before,  and 
with  the  teacher's  suggestion  he  will  be  glad  to  read  lines  985-998  in 
support  of  his  opinion.  Some  one  in  answer  may  refer  to  lines  666-679,  or 
similar  passages.  So,  also,  some  one  may  wish  to  prove  the  unwarranted 
harshness  of  England  by  reading  lines  237-253,  or  432-441.  The  careful 
teacher  will  find  many  opportunities  for  arousing  class  discussion  on  these 
and  similar  points ;  and  will  have  free  scope  for  her  skill  in  directing  such 
discussion  so  as  to  involve  reference  to  the  text  by  pupils,  and  so  as  to 
secure  a  final  precipitate  of  sensible  conclusions  and  worthy  emotions. 

Some  of  the  situations  best  adapted  to  serve  as  a  basis  for  questions  to  be 
interwoven  in  the  interpretation  that  should  accompany  the  reading  by  the 
teacher  are : 

1.  How  would  you  have  liked  to  have  lived  in  Grand  Pre?     Why? 

2.  What  were  some  of  the  pleasures  of  life  in  the  village? 

3.  What  shows  you  that  the  Acadians  were  happy? 

4.  How  did  they  feel  toward  one  another? 

5.  Do  you  think  that  they  suffered  much  because  they  did  not  have 
automobiles,  street  cars,  telephones,  and  newspapers? 

6.  Why  were  they  so  content  without  so  many  of  the  things  which  we  find 
so  necessary? 

7.  What  were  some  of  the  features  that  made  Benedict's  farm  so  com- 
fortable and  happy  a  home? 

8.  Who  can  describe  an  old-fashioned  well? 

9.  Was  the  English  commander  proud  or  ashamed  of  his  duty?  What 
makes  you  think  so  ? 

10.  Was  he  to  blame  for  the  trouble  and  misery  that  followed?  Why 
didn't  he  refuse  to  execute  his  harsh  order  if  it  went  against  his  grain? 
(Here  bring  the  class  to  a  strong  stand  in  favor  of  the  soldier's  unflinch- 
ing devotion  to  his  duty,  albeit  a  duty  at  which  his  feelings  revolted.) 

11.  What  was  the  cause  of  old  Benedict's  death?  Was  it  not  the  best 
for  him  after  all?  (Picture  him  in  a  strange  land  shorn  of  all  the  old 
associations  of  farm  and  village  that  had  been  life  itself  to  him.) 

12.  Upon  whom  did  Evangeline's  love  and  trust  center  itself  after  her 
father's  death? 

'  13.  Why  did  Gabriel  fail  to  search  for  Evaageline?  (Bring  out  such 
facts  as  tend  to  show  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  her  whereabouts,  while 
she  could  have  been  expected  to  have  heard  of  him  and  his  father.) 

(63) 


14.  Why  didn't  Evangeline  take  the  advice  of  a  friend  expressed  in 
lines  708-713? 

15.  "What  do  you, like  best  about  Basil? 

16.  What  is  a  sister  of  mercy  ? 

17.  Did  Evangeline  as  a  sister  of  mercy  forget  Gabriel? 

18.  Do  you  think  that  she  lived  long  after  his  death? 

19.  What  part  of  this  story  do  you  like  best?     Why? 

Memory  Work. 

When  the  reading  and  the  interpretation  of  the  story  have  been  finished 
the  teacher  should  call  for  opinions  as  to  what  parts  are  the  most  beauti- 
fully expressed  by  the  author.  These  should  be  read  in  witness  of  their 
excellence  by  the  pupils  advancing  them;  and  then,  after  general  opinion 
has  crystallized  in  favor  of  certain  portions,  they  should  be  assigned  for 
memorization.  The  teacher  will  have  no  difficulty  in  leading  the  choice  to 
selections  worth  a  place  in  the  memories  of  the  pupils. 

Cumulative  Review. 

1.  Who  were  the  Acadians? 

2.  Where  did  they  live? 

3.  What  sort  of  a  life  did  they  lead? 

4.  What  tragic  fate  overcame  them? 

5.  Briefly  sketch  the  misfortunes  of  Evangeline? 

6.  Who  wrote  the  poem  Evangeline? 

7.  What  place  does  Longfellow  tak:e  among  American  poets? 

8.  Name  some  other  poems  written  by  him. 

9.  Give  from  memory  some  selection  from  Evangeline  that  shows  the 
beauty  of  the  poem. 

For  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  100.) 

Other  Well-Known  Works  by  LongpeliLOW. 

The  Village  Blacksmith.  . 

The  Ride  of  Paul  Bevere. 
Miles  Standish. 


(64) 


IVANHOL 


General  Remarks  and  Sug-g-estions. 

There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  at  this  time  the  works  of  Walter  Scott 
are  not  read  as  generally  as  was  once  the  case.  Whether  this  is  a  good  or 
a  bad  sign  as  to  our  latter  day  literary  tastes  is  a  question  that  this  course 
of  study  has  no  business  in  attempting  to  answer.  The  world  has  a  way  of 
attending  to  such  matters  for  itself,  and  in  the  long  run  manages  to  attend 
to  them  with  considerable  wisdom  and  -satisfaction  to  itself.  But  whether 
Scott  is  read  more  or  less  than  he  was  fifty  years  ago,  the  plain  fact  remains 
that  even  at  the  present  time  every  one  who  knows  anything  about  books 
has  heard  of  him;  and  every  one  who  can  claim  a  fairly  good  adjustment 
to  the  literary  demands  of  common,  every-day  life  has  read  at  least  one  of 
his  novels.  Moreover,  it  is  similarly  known  that  his  novels  are  historical 
in  setting;  that  they  deal  with  chivalry,  the  crusades,  border  troubles,  and 
feudal  disorders. 

Some  acquaintance  with  Scott's  works  is  therefore  necessary.  This  is 
doubly  true  because  the  life  portrayed  in  his  novels  has  many  aspects  with 
which  the  person  of  ordinarily  good  education  must  be  acquainted.  Feudal 
customs,  chivalry  and  its  uses,  wood-ranging  outlaws  in  jackets  of  green, 
castles  and  tournaments  and  tilt  yards,  all  claim  at  least  a  distant  place 
in  our  fund  of  knowledge.  To  these  and  their  like,  and  to  their  spirit 
as  well  as  to  their  visible  forms,  Scott  gives  us  the  best  introduction. 

Scott's  novels  are  a  splendid  emotional  stimulus  as  well  as  a  basis 
for  useful  historical  and  literary  knowledge.  It  has  been  said  that  his  char- 
acters are  gilded  and  toned  up  beyond  all  human  semblance,  and  to  some 
degree  the  charge  must  be  allowed.  But  they  are  never  unreal  to  the  reader 
and  so  never  fail  to  exert  a  constant  claim  upon  his  best  impulses  and  sym- 
pathies. Their  Hves  and  times  were  different  from  those  of  the  twentieth 
century,  yet  many  of  their  problems  were  about  the  same  as  ours,  and  many 
of  their  brave  or  kindly  or  courteous  or  contemptible  acts  find  close  modern 
counterparts  in  similar  situations.  Therefore,  it  is  good  for  the  one  whose 
emotional  life  is  in  the  shaping  to  strike  the  right  attitude  at  the  side  of 
Scott's  heroes  or  heroines.  Because  the  stories  sometimes  portray  a  char- 
acter who  is  too  magnanimous,  or  brave,  or  just,  or  courteous  for  this  or 
even  for  that  age,  it  is  a  poor  reason  for  us  to  withhold  our  admiration  for 
the  high  qualities  of  such  a  one,  or,  fearing  a  like  supereminence  of  virtue 
on  our  part,  to  fail  to  respond  in  sympathy  with  his  ideals. 

Ivanhoe  has  been  chosen  as  the  one  of  Scott's  works  for  treatment  in 
this  course.  The  main  reason  for  this  selection  is  that  this  novel  has  for 
some  time  been  made  a  part  of  many  grammar  and  high  school  courses  in 

n — GUL.  5  (65) 


literature.  It  is,  therefore,  probably  his  best  known  story.  Besides,  it  has 
every  claim  for  admission  that  any  other  of  his  tales  could  urge.  It  is 
typically  Scott's,  it  deals  with  many  phases  of  the  life  of  the  times,  it  is 
full  of  historical  common  knowledge,  it  is  almost  faultless  as  to  local  color 
and  atmosphere,  it  contains  a  large  number  of  situations  that  will  arouse 
the  pupil  to  helpful  emotional  experiences,  and  it  is,  withal,  an  excellent 
story, — ^filled  with  movement,  spectacular  events,  vivid  scenes,  stirring 
motives  and  stirring  deeds. 

Prepapation  and  Presentation. 

The  teacher  should  read  the  whole  story  through  carefully  before  telling 
any  part  of  it.  So  much  of  the  fascinating  mystery  and  unexpected  out- 
come of  events  depends  upon  the  teller  -seeing  all  parts  at  once  that  it  will 
not  be  possible  to  give  the  right  touch,  and  the  proper  suggestion,  without 
this  general  view.  It  is  assumed  that  the  teacher  will  be  somewhat  familiar 
with  the  conditions  of  time,  place,  and  general  circumstances  that  surround 
the  plot.  If  this  acquaintance  is  lacking  it  will  be  difficult  to  supply  from 
any  history  text-book.  Better,  in  such  case,  to  read  half  a  dozen  of  Scott's 
novels  and  all  the  history  stories  suggested  thereby  as  a  basis.  In  no  case 
attempt  to  tell  the  story  without  a  foundation  of  intelligent  appreciations  of 
the  times.  Otherwise  it  will  be  uninteresting  and  largely  unintelligible  to 
the  class.  Work  up,  also,  a  genuine  enthusiasm  in  so  far  as  possible  for  the 
situations  in  the  novel.  It  is  as  hard  to  get  a  class  to  feel  that  which  the 
story  has  not  led  the  teacher  to  feel  as  it  is  to  teach  them  to  understand  that 
w^hich  the  teacher  does  not  understand;— in  short,  it  is  impossible. 

Lesson  units  are  not  arranged  for  the  teacher  in  this  because  of  the 
variations  that  they  would  have  to  suffer  in  being  applied  to  the  class  room. 
In  a  story  so  long  and  so  full  of  places  where  the  time  consumed  in  pres- 
entation should  be  freely  altered  to  suit  the  immediate  demands  of  the 
case,  it  would  not  be  of  use  to  propose  rigid  lesson  units.  The  teacher, 
how^ever,  should  plan  out  each  day's  work  carefully  in  advance.  Bj^  doing 
so  she  will  more  nearly  be  able  to  assure  herself  of  the  following :  first,  that 
the  necessary  preparation  has  been  made ;  second,  that  the  emphasis  is  to  be 
properly  directed;  third,  that  the  plot  is  to  be  held  together  in  a  way  to 
make  the  whole  story  most  effective;  fourth,  that  the  lasson  unit  has 
dramatic  interest  in  itself,  and  that  it  takes  the  fortunes  of  the  characters 
one  step  nearer  to  the  final  outcome. 

Into  the  preparation  of  each  day's  work  should  be  woven  the  results  of 
such  suggestions  as  follow :  problems  for  discussion  by  the  class ;  anticipa- 
tions to  be  whetted ;  mysteries  to  be  guessed  at ;  scenes  to  be  visualized ;  maps, 
diagrams,  and  pictures  to  be  used;  and  all  the  methodology  demanded  by 
that  day's  work. 

It  will  be  well  to  say  a  word  to  the  class  in  advance  about  the  story.  Tell 
them  briefly  that  it  deals  with  the  times  when  Richard  was  away  on  his 
crusading  and  when  the  Normans  and  Saxons  were  not  yet  become  a  single 
race;  that  it  is  an  historical  novel,— that  is  to  say,  a  story  dealing  with  his- 
torical characters  and  involving  many  situations  well  grounded  on  fact ; 

(66) 


that  it  is  one  of  the  first  historical  novels  ever  written  and  that  its  author, 
Scott,  was  the  first  and  the  greatest  of  all  historical  novelists.  If  the  class 
has  had  the  story  of  the  Conquest  and  of  Richard's  exploits  it  will  not  be 
hard  to  give  them  a  rapid  and  at  the  same  time  an  interesting  view  of  the 
times.  In  case  the  story  is  to  be  told  to  a  class  that  has  not  had  these  stories, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  lay  a  somewhat  more  careful  and  detailed  basis  of 
those  general  conditions  upon  Avhich  the  events  in  the  story  hang.  In  such 
case  a  brief  sketch  should  be  given  of  John  and  Richard's  rivalry,  of  Rich- 
ard's exploits  in  the  Holy  Land,  of  the  unsettled  conditions  at  home,  and  of 
the  feudal  and  social  conditions  involved  in  the  tale.  As  much  as  possi- 
ble of  this  background  of  general  circumstance  should  be  woven  into  the 
story  as  it  is  told,  as  for  instance,  the  relation  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  the  insti- 
tution of  the  Knights  Templar,  the  nature  of  tournaments,  the  forest  laws, 
outlawry,  etc. ;  but  some  preliminary  work  such  as  has  been  indicated  will 
be  necessary  to  make  the  story  mean  much  and  to  prevent  too  frequent  and 
too  long  interlardings  of  such  matter  in  the  midst  of  the  events  of  the  plot. 
Instead  of  lesson  units,  it  is  proposed  to  set  forth  certain  subdivisions  of 
the  story  w^hich  constitute  the  steps  hy  w^hich  the  movement  of  the  plot 
reaches  its  conclusion.  Each  of  these  is  vital  to  the  well-rounded  presenta- 
tion of  the  tale  and  each  therefore  deserves  careful  presentation  and  just 
emphasis.  It  must  be  remembered  at  all  times  that  the  significance  of  a 
situation  in  the  development  of  the  story  is  in  no  way  proportionate  to  the 
length  of  time  that  must  be  employed  in  properly  recounting  it.  A  whis- 
pered word,  a  careless  act  of  kindness,  or  a  chance  and  momentary  glance  at 
a  fair  heroine  may  be  productive  of  the  most  far-reaching  consequences. 
The  proper  degree  of  emphasis  and  care  in  presentation  that  each  of  the 
following  topics  demands  must  depend  on  the  importance  of  each  in  the 
unfolding  of  the  story.  Such  suggestions  as  follow  the  story  subdivisions 
are  designed  to  help  in  seeing  the  significance  that  certain  of  them  hold, 
and  to  illustrate  how  they  may  stand  for  what  they  are  worth  in  the  telling : 

1.  Cedric  the  Saxon  in  an  ill  humor,  fuming  over  trivial  and  serious  dis- 
appointments. (The  stor}^  is  most  effectively  told  to  a  class  with  this 
beginning.  After  having  introduced  the  hearers  to  Cedric 's  state  of  mind 
and  fortune,  and  incidentally  to  many  of  the  underlying  conditions  of  time 
and  place  that  his  gloomy  spirits  reflect,  the  scene  should  change  to  the 
doings  of  Wamba  and  Gurth,  and  thence  should  follow  the  order  of  the 
events  as  given  in  the  text.) 

2.  Gurth  and  Wamba  in  the  forest. 

3.  The  travelers.  Prior  Aymer  and  Sir  Brian,  and  how  they  found  their 
way  to  Cedric 's  hall. 

4.  Dinner  at  Cedric 's.  (This  scene  holds  the  source  of  much  of  the 
ensuing  action  and  should  be  very  carefully  worked  out.  Bring  out,  espe- 
cially, the  mystery  surrounding  the  Palmer;  the  race  pride  and  ambitions 
of  Cedric;  the  character  of  Sir  Brian  and  his  infatuation  for  Rowena; 
Rowena's  remarkable  interest  in  news  from  the  Holy  Land;  the  Jew's 
furtiveness  and  the  good  reasons  for  it ;  and  the  origin  of  the  enmity  between 
Sir  Brian  and  Ivanhoe  by  proxy  of  the  mysterious  Palmer.) 

(67) 


5.  How  the  Jew  was  saved  from  the  plot  of  Sir  Brian;  and  the  Palmer's 
secret  to  Gurth. 

6.  How  the  Palmer  found  himself  in  horse  and  armor. 

7.  Prince  John's  schemings:  political  conditions  in  England  during 
the  absence  of  King  Richard. 

8.  Preparations  for  the  great  tournament  at  Ashby. 

9.  The  first  day  of  the  jousting :  the  triumph  of  the  Disinherited  Knight 
over  the  five  challengers. 

10.  Rebecca  proves  herself  a  grateful  friend  of  the  Disinherited  Knight: 
how  the  horse  and  armor  were  paid  for. 

11.  The  second  day  of  the  tournament :  the  triumph  of  the  Disinherited 
Knight  over  Sir  Brian,  and  how  he  was  discovered  to  be  Ivanhoe.  Enters, 
the  Black  Knight. 

12.  De  Bracy  and  Sir  Brian's  plot  to  seize  Rowena. 

13.  The  Black  Knight  spends  a  merry  evening  with  a  merry  anchorite. 

14.  Cedric's  journey  toward  home,  and  the  wayfarers  who  joined  his  train. 
,  15.  The  attack  on  Cedric  's  party  and  their  imprisonment  in  the  castle 

of  Front  de  Boeuf . 

16.  How  the  designs  of  Front  de  Boeuf,  De  Bracy,  and  Sir  Brian  are 
variously  disturbed  by  the  arrival  of  a  strangely  assorted  rescue  party. 

17.  Wamba  risks  his  neck  to  secure  the  escape  of  Cedric. 

18.  How  it  falls  out  that  the  sick  man  is  Ivanhoe. 

19.  The  capture  of  the  castle ;  death  of  Front  de  Boeuf ;  and  the  liberation 
of  the  prisoners.  (The  story  of  Ulfried  should  be  skillfully  interwoven  as 
a  minor  thread  in  subdivisions  14,  15,  16,  and  17,  and  rises  to  a  place  of 
supreme  importance  in  the  events  attending  the  fall  of  the  stronghold.) 

20.  Supposed  death  of  Athelstane;  Sir  Brian's  escape  with  Rebecca. 

21.  The  dispersal  of  the  captives  after  their  release;  and  the  division  of 
the  spoils  among  the  outlaws. 

22.  Prince  John  hears  of  King  Richard's  return  and  plots  to  have  him 
waylaid. 

23.  Isaac's  attempt  to  ransom  his  daughter;  her  trial  as  a  witch,  and 
the  arrangements  for  final  trial  by  combat;  Sir  Brian's  vain  attempt  to 
win  her  by  offering  to  desert  his  order. 

24.  The  Black  Knight  and  Ivanhoe  at  the  priory ;  and  how  after  wayside 
adventures  they  find  themselves  at  Athelstane 's  funeral  festivities. 

25.  The  Black  Knight  becomes  King  Richard,  and  reconciles  Cedric  with 
Ivanhoe.;  Athelstane  attends  his  own  funeral  feast  and  renounces  his 
affianced  bride. 

26.  How  Rebecca  was  saved  and  Sir  Brian  destroyed. 

27.  How  every  one  who  deserves  it  is  made  happy. 

The  story,  although  full  of  action  and  varied  complexity  of  plot,  is 
singularly  free  from  multiplicity  of  indispensable  characters.  Some  of 
them,  however,  have  unusual  names,  and  several  must  be  known  under  two 
or  more  names.  The  following  list  is  offered  as  a  suggestion  as  to  what 
names  should  be  used: 

Cedric,  Wamba,  Gurth,  Prior  Aymer,  Sir  Brian,  the  Palmer,  (otherwise 

(68) 


known  as  the  Disinherited  Knight,  Wilfred,  and  Ivanhoe,)  Rowena,  Athel- 
stane,  Isaac,  Prince  John,  De  Bracy,  Front  de  Boeuf,  Locksley  alias  Robin 
Hood,  the  Black  Knight,  (otherwise.  King  Richard  the  Lion  Hearted,) 
the  Holy  Clerk  of  Copmanhurst  alias  Friar  Tuck,  Ulfried,  Rebecca,  and  the 
Grand  Master. 

Each  name  should  be  written  on  the  board  when  it  first  occurs.  Such 
abbreviations  as  Sir  Brian  for  the  almost  impossible  Sir  Brian  de  Bois 
Guilbert  are  to  be  recommended.  When  we  meet  a  character  in  a  single 
relation  only,  as  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Knights  Templar,  Sir  Lucas 
Beaumanoir,  he  may  be  simply  and  effectively  referred  to  by  title  or  by 
some  such  descriptive  epithet.  The  names  of  places  most  necessary  to  be 
used  in  the  telling  are :  Rotherwood,  Ashby,  Sherwood  Forest,  Torquilstone, 
Templestowe,  and  Palestine.  It  should  be  remembered  that  a  needless 
multiplicity  of  names  renders  the  story  tangled  and  obscure  and  makes  it 
almost  impossible  for  the  class  to  do  much  in  the  way  of  re-telling  or 
even  in  active  participation  in  the  presentation. 

Certain  scenes  of  the  story  should  be  made  so  vivid  as  to  result  in  their 
visualization  by  the  class.  This  is  especially  necessary  when  the  scene  is 
the  background  for  events  of  the  first  importance  in  the  development  of  the 
story;  when  the  visualization  of  the  scene  is  necessary  for  a  clear  notion 
of  the  events  and  for  the  degree  of  appreciation  desired;  and  when  the 
scene  is  one  that  will  serve  as  a  type,  helping  the  class  to  a  conception  of 
something  worth  knowing  and  understanding  for  its  own  sake  without 
respect  to  its  importance  in  the  plot.  For  one  or  more  of  these  reasons 
each  of  the  following  scenes  is  recommended  for  crisp,  clear,  vivid  pres- 
entation : 

1.  Reception  of  the  travelers  in  Cedric's  hall.  Bring  out  the  gloomy 
frame  of  mind  in  which  Cedric  was  before  his  visitors  arrived.  Describe 
the  great  hall,  with  its  blackened  oaken  beams,  its  skin-covered  floors,  huge 
fireplace,  and  armor  hanging  upon  the  wall.  Describe  the  manner  of 
Cedric  toward  his  Norman  guests,  to  the  Jew,  to  the  Palmer,  and  to  his 
ward,  the  Lady  Rowena.  Hospitality  of  a  rude  but  generous  sort  should 
give  tone  to  the  scene ;  but  race  jealousy  and  suspicion  and  pride  are  always 
to  be  seen  lurking  in  its  shadows. 

2.  The  tournament.  Describe  the  jousting  field,  with  its  benches  and 
boxes  graded  to  the  social  status  of  the  spectators.  Bring  in  the  bright 
colors  of  the  banners  and  costumes  and  plumes  of  the  courtiers  and  knights. 
Introduce  the  herald,  with  his  trumpet  and  announcements.  Give  a  clear 
picture  of  the  knights  in  action :  how  the  lances  were  placed  in  rest  while 
a  hush  fell  over  the  audience;  how  the  mail-covered  horses  charged  from 
each  end  toward  the  center  of  the  arena ;  how  lances  were  shivered,  horses 
overthrown,  and  riders  thrust  from  their  saddles  by  the  impact  of  the 
charge.  Bring  out  the  confusion  and  uproar  and  dust  and  clangor  of  the 
melee.  Thus  will  be  built  up  an  effective  background  for  the  exploits  of 
the  mysterious  champions,  the  Disinherited  Knight  and  the  Black  Knight. 

3.  ^Black  Knight  in  the  anchorite's  hermitage.  Introduce  all  the  external 
signs  of  piety  and  abstemiousness  that  were  to  be  seen;  then  reveal  each 

(69) 


successive  detail  of  the  real  life  of  the  worldly  hermit.     Show  how  the 
knight  and  the  friar  came  to  respect  each  other's  good  qualities. 

4.  Front  de  Boeuf 's  castle.  The  following  features  typical  of  a  mediaeval 
Norman  stronghold  should  be  brought  out :  the  moat,  drawbridge,  portcullis, 
high  towers  and  bastions,  dungeon  cells  with  instruments  of  torture,  stone 
floors,  great  hall,  central  courtyard,  postern  gate,  and  barbican.  A  chaik 
sketch  of  the  castle  will  prove  easy  to  make  and  most  effective  in  giving  the 
class  a  clear  mental  picture. 

5.  The  capture  of  the  castle.  Here  we  have  an  excellent  type  of  the 
method  used  in  storming  a  mediaeval  stronghold.  The  capture  of  the  castle 
should  be  presented  in  a  series  of  clear-cut  narrative  pictures : 

(a)  Show  how  Front  de  Boeuf  arranged  his  garrison  for  defense,  and 
how  the  rescue  party  planned  their  attack. 

(&)  Present  details  of  how  the  Black  Knight  led  his  party  successfully 
against  the  barbican  of  the  postern  gate. 

(c)  Describe  each  step  of  the  forcing  of  the  postern  gate. 

(d)  Give  a  clear  picture  of  the  horror  of  Front  de  Boeuf 's  death. 

(e)  Describe  the  escape  of  the  inmates  from  the  burning  castle. 

The  scenes  involved  in  (a) ,  (h) ,  and  (c)  may  be  well  presented  by  letting 
Rebecca  describe  them  to  Ivanhoe  while  we  listen. 

6.  The  outlaw's  tryst  after  the  capture  of  the  castle.  Bring  out  the  joy 
of  the  outlaws  over  their  factory;  their  fairness  in  the  division  of  the 
spoils;  the  obedience  they  showed  Locksley,  their  leader;  their  standards 
of  physical  manhood  and  courage  as  shown  in  the  bout  between  the  Black 
Knight  and  Friar  Tuck;  their  underlying  sense  of  fair  play  and  justice, 
and  the  spirit  of  freedom  that  characterized  every  act. 

7.  Athelstane's  funeral  festivities.  Bring  out  the  details  of  the  feasting, 
drinking,  and  formal  ceremony  that  accompanied  the  rites.  It  should  all 
be  described  in  terms  of  what  the  Black  Knight  saw  and  thought. 

8.  The  trial  of  Rebecca  by  combat.  Make  clear  to  the  class  the  picture 
of  the  tilt  yard,  with  its  benches  for  spectators  and  its  high  paling  all 
around.  Describe  the  gathering  of  the  Templars;  the  preparation  of  the 
iron  stake  and  the  fagots;  the  announcement  of  the  trial  by  combat; 
Rebecca's  vain  waiting  for  a  champion;  Sir  Brian's  conflicting  emotions 
and  his  urgent  appeal  to  Rebecca;  and  finally,  just  as  the  sun  was  about 
to  dip,  the  arrival  of  Ivanhoe.  Through  the  whole  of  this  tragic  scene 
one  question  should  hold  the  class:  what  can  be  done  and  what  will  be 
done  to  save  Rebecca  not  only  from  the  wretched  Sir  Brian  but  from  her 
impending  doom  at  the  stake. 

A  common-sense,  working  understanding  of  each  of  the  above  scenes,  and 
in  less  degree  of  many  other  scenes  laid  in  the  story,  will  serve  in  such  type 
forming  as  will  help  the  pupil  in  a  thousand  frequent  illusions,  references, 
and  experiences  in  his  wider  relations  with  art,  literature,  the  play,  history 
and,  for  that  matter,  common  conversation. 

In  attempting  to  make  the  class  visualize  or  see  in  imagination  any 
particular  scene,  the  use  of  maps,  diagrams,  sketches,  chalk-talk  work,  and 
pictures  should  be  used.     A   rough  plan  showing  the  relations  between 

(70) 


Rotherwood,  Sherwood  Forest,  Ashby,  the  scene  of  the  roadside  attack, 
Torquilstone  and  the  anchorite's  cell,  will  be  helpful  in  making  parts  of 
the  action  clear. 

All  of  the  characters  listed  among  the  names  considered  essential  in  the 
telling,  (see  pp.  68-69,)  are  drawn  by  Scott  with  force  and  distinctness. 
The  following  list  of  attributes  is  therefore  a  selection  of  those  pertaining  to 
the  most  essential  personages  in  the  story.  Each  has  minor  aspects  as  we 
view  his  actions,  yet  the  side  to  be  emphasized  is  the  one  here  suggested : 

1.  Cedric's  dominant  characteristic  is  to  be  found  in  his  descriptive  title, 
The  Saxon.  He  is  a  brave,  unselfish  man ;  but  stubborn  beyond  reason,  and 
severely  rather  than  kindly  just.  Above  all  he  is  intensely  devoted  to  the 
Saxon  cause.  Remember  that  one  or  another,  or  perhaps  a  combination  of 
several,  of  these  attributes  is  shown  in  every  act  and  motive  of  his. 

2.  Ivanhoe:  Marked  by  Saxon  loyalty,  but  without  narrow  prejudice 
against  Norman  virtues.  Above  all,  true  to  his  king.  Brave  in  action, 
unselfish,  chivalrous,  generous  to  friend  and  foe.  Eminently  skilled  in  the 
accomplishments  of  knighthood.  Wholly  possessed  by  a  deep,  constant,  and 
admirable  love  for  Rowena. 

3.  Rowena :  Rather  less  clearly  portrayed  than  most  of  the  other  principal 
characters.  A  passive  character  throughout  the  story.  Beautiful,  however, 
and  good  and  kind  and  constant  to  Ivanhoe  and  the  ideals  for  which  he 
stands. 

4.  Wamba:  the  fool  in  the  ease,  and  yet  the  wisest  man.  Marked  by 
great  loyalty  for  Cedric  and  his  house;  possessing  a  wit  ever  ready  for 
repartee  or  sharp  .strategy,  and  harboring  an  over-mastering  desire  to  make 
it  hot  for  Normans. 

5.  Gurth :  a  burly  fellow  of  great  strength  and  of  courage  enough  when 
the  interests  of  his  masters  are  at  stake.  Loyal  through  all  extremes  to 
Cedric  and  the  Saxon  interests. 

6.  Athelstane:  a  Saxon  glutton;  type  of  the  man  of  great  heart  and 
capable  of  splendid  action  w^ho  gives  himself  up  to  swinish  tastes  and  habits. 

7.  King  Richard  (the  Black  Knight)  :  Fond  of  adventure,  brave  and 
efficient  as  a  warrior,  ready  to  see  real  worth  even  when  lacking  its  custom- 
ary social  trappings.  Fond  of  rough,  wild  escapades.  Interested  in  the 
welfare  of  his  subjects,  and  especially  interested  in  Ivanhoe.  Above  all  a 
paragon  in  arms. 

8.  Prince  John:  a  rascal  caitiff,  treacherous,  cruel,  selfish,  tactless, 
unjust,  always  attempting  to  undermine  his  brother's  kingship.  An 
unreasoning  foe  to  all  Saxons.  A  foil  to  Richard  in  every  virtue  of 
that  hero. 

9.  Sir  Brian:  proud,  imperious,  cruel,  given  to  sudden  and  violent 
passions,  Avilling  to  sink  all  vows  and  principles  in  the  effort  to  gratify 
his  ambitions.    Showing  extreme  hatred  of  all  things  Saxon. 

10.  Isaac':  shrewd,  cringing,  abased  through  persecution;  but  kind 
to  those  who  treat  him  kindly  and  holding  a  great  love  for  his  daughter. 

11.  Rebecca :  gentle,  grateful  for  kindness,  possessed  of  supreme  courage ; 
a  noble  and  thoroughly  womanly  woman. 

(71) 


12.  Locksley :  skilled  in  woodcraft,  a  menace  only  to  the  rich  oppressors ; 
kind,  brave,  and  loyal  at  heart. 

In  attempting  to  endow  each  of  the  above  individuals  with  the  proper 
characteristics,  the  teacher  must  remember  that  little  is  to  be  gained  by 
direct  description  in  general  terms.  It  avails  little  as  far  as  vivid,  realistic 
portrayal  goes  to  say  that  Wamba  was  quick-witted;  but  the  desired  idea 
may  be  given  if  a  few  of  his  sharp  comments  are  retold  in  direct  discourse, 
and  if  his  scheme  to  save  Cedric,  his  resourcefulness  while  riding  forth 
with  King  Richard,  and  other  concrete  illustrations  of  his  shrewdness  are 
presented  in  vigorous  detail.  The  teacher  should  remember  that  she  has 
certain  characters  with  certain  dominant  characteristics  to  make  real,  and 
should  play  each  actor  so  as  to  make  him  reveal  his  inmost  self  in  every 
motive,  feeling,  and  act. 

The  following  charts  or  plans  should  be  sketched  and  used  as  indicated: 

1.  The  great  hall  of  Cedric ;  to  be  used  when  telling  of  the  entertainment 
of  the  travelers  there. 

2.  The  lists  at  Ashby ;  to  be  used  when  telling  about  the  tournament. 

3.  Plan  of  TorquiMone ;  showing  the  bestowal  of  the  prisoners  and  the 
details  of  the  storming. 

The  following  chalk  talks  are  simple  and  effective: 

1.  Knight  on  horseback;  with  slight  variations  useful  in  many  stages  of 
the  story. 

2.  Rotherwood;  showing  towers,  drawbridge,  moat,  and  method  of  forti- 
fication. 

3.  Torquilstone,— exterior  view.  This  should  be  made  a  typical  medieval 
castle. 

4.  Isaac's  dungeon;  showing  fireplace,  torture  irons,  chains,  stone  pillars, 
and  the  skeleton  in  manacles. 

5.  Preparations  to  burn  Rebecca;  showing  judges  and  spectators,  stake, 
firewood  piled  up,  and  Rebecca  just  about  to  take  her  place  upon  it. 

The  following  pictures  are  found  in  so  many  histories  and  history  story 
books  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  give  specific  references : 

1.  A  tournament  scene. 

2.  Knight  in  single  combat. 

3.  A  jester. 

4.  Mediaeval  castle  under  storm. 

5.  Robin  Hood  pictures. 

When  using  a  map,  plan,  chalk  sketch,  or  picture  the  teacher  should 
bring  the  illustration  into  as  close  conjunction  with  the  events  of  the  story 
as  possible.  Therefore,  it  is  better  to  draw  the  map,  or  the  plan,  or  the 
chalk  sketch,  and  to  show  the  picture,  while  in  the  very  act  of  telling.  In 
this  way  the  use  of  the  illustration  in  making  relations  clear  is  intensified. 

Without  doubt  the  teacher  will  see,  without  any  one  pointing  it  out  to 
her,  that  the  story  of  Ivanhoe  owes  a  large  part  of  its  interest  to  the  charm 
of  the  element  of  mystery  that  it  contains.  Constantly  the  reader's  imagina- 
tion is  whetted  and  all  his  detective  instincts  aroused  by  the  fr^uent  con- 
fusions and  disguises  of  identity,  and  in  the  unexplained  meaning  of  events. 

(72) 


Each  of  the  following  is  a  question  that  should  be  developed  in  its  proper 
place  in  the  telling.  ''  And  the  conjectures  and  anticipations  aroused  by  the 
mystery  suggested  by  the  questions  will  go  a  long  way  to  give  the  story  its 
strong  hold  on  the  interests  of  the  class: 

1.  Who  was  the  Palmer  in  Cedric's  hall? 

2.  Why  was  Rowena  so  anxious  for  news  from  the  Holy  Land? 

3.  What  did  the  Palmer  whisper  to  Gurth? 

4.  Who  were  the  outlaws  who  stopped  Gurth  on  his  way  home  from  the 
Jew's? 

5.  Who  was  the  Black  Knight  ? 

6.  What  sort  of  life  did  the  outlaws  live  ? 

7.  Who  was  the  sick  man  borne  in  the  Jew's  litter? 

8.  What  did  the  Black  Knight  whisper  to  De  Bracy  at  the  postern  gate  ? 

9.  Where  was  Isaac  when  the  castle  was  burning? 

10.  Where  was  the  Holy  Clerk  of  Copmanhurst  when  the  spoils  were 
divided  ? 

11.  What  befell  Ivanhoe  after  the  Black  Knight  rescued  him? 

12.  What  champion  could  Rebecca  expect  to  find? 

13.  What  did  the  Black  Knight  plan  to  do  when  he  left  Ivanhoe  recov- 
ering at  the  priory? 

14.  Who  was  it  that  called  upon  Ivanhoe  when  he  was  attending  Athel- 
stane's  funeral  feast? 

15.  Who  were  the  minstrel  and  sturdy  priest  that  came  to  the  trial  of 
Rebecca  ? 

16.  Why  did  Rebecca  leave  the  trial  without  thanking  Ivanhoe? 

It  is,  of  course,  understood  that  these  questions  are  all  answered  in  the 
development  of  the  story.  But  during  the  progress  of  the  tale  one  or  more 
of  them  continually  claims  the  attention  and  keeps  the  mind  busy  planning 
possible  outcomes  in  answer  to  it.  It  will  be  well  for  the  teacher  to  let  the 
class  give  frequent  expression  to  their  suspicions  or  conjectures  as  to  the 
answers,  and  to  that  end  to  make  the  questions  vital  problems  in  the  unfold- 
ing of  events. 

Cumulative  Review. 

;1.  What  character  in  Ivanhoe  do  you  like  best?     Why? 

2.  How  did  the  Normans  and  Saxons  feel  toward  each  other  in  the  days 
of  King  Richard? 

3.  How  were  the  Jews  treated  in  those  days? 

4.  Describe  the  tournament  scene. 

5.  Who  was  Robin  Hood? 

6.  What  sort  of  life  did  the  outlaws  live? 

7.  Describe  a  castle  of  the  time  of  Ivanhoe. 

8.  What  was  a  jester? 

9.  Describe  the  appearance  of  a  knight  equipped  for  fighting. 

10.  Who  were  the  Knights  Templar? 

11.  How  were  heretics  and  those  accused  of  witchcraft  treated  in  those 
days? 

(73) 


12.  Describe  a  trial  by  battle. 

13.  Why  is  Ivanhoe  called  an  historical  novel? 

14.  Who  wrote  Ivanhoe  f 

15.  What  other  work  of  Scott  have  you  read? 

16.  When  and  in  what  land  did  Scott  live  and  write? 

For  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  100.) 

Other  Well-known  Works  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  : 

The  Talisman. 

Kenilworth. 

The  Lady  of  the  Lake. 

Lochinvar. 
General  Eeading: 

Radford :    King  Arthur  and  His  Knights. 

Lamb;    Tales  from  Shakespeare. 

Wallace:    Ben  Eur. 

Porter:    Scottish  Chiefs. 


(74) 


5NOW-BOUND. 


General  Remarks  and  Sug'g'estions. 

This  poem  has  a  place  in  nearly  all  grammar  grade  courses  of  study. 
The  literary  values  to  be  drawn  from  it  for  the  class  are  as  follows : 

1.  A  friendly  knowledge  of  winter  life  in  a  snow-bound  farm  house. 
While  the  poem  deals  with  a  situation  of  almost  three  generations  ago,  it  is, 
nevertheless,  typical  in  most  of  its  salient  points  of  conditions  still  common 
in  many  parts  of  the  United  States. 

2.  A  sound  appreciation  of  home  and  homely  things,  be  they  ever  so 
humble.  This,  involving  as  it  does  right  attitudes  toward  parents,  brothers 
and  sisters,  guests,  simple  pleasures  and  home  duties,  is  as  much  to  be 
striven  for  to-day  as  in  the  day  of  Whittier. 

3.  An  attitude  of  kindly,  affectionate  remembrance  of  childhood  in  the 
home.  The  poem  is  written  with  this  as  its  main  emotional  end,  and  is, 
therefore,  primarily  a  poem  for  adults.  From  children  of  twelve  years 
of  age  or  thereabouts  scarcely  anything  of  tenderly  sad  retrospection  can 
be  expected.  Maturity  and  some  world  experience  in  the  reader  are 
required  in  order  to  catch  the  full  spirit  of  the  author.  This  spirit,  the 
key  to  the  poem,  he  has  expressed  in  the  following  lines  in  which  he  refers 
to  the  feelings  which  he  hopes  the  poem  will  arouse  in  others : 

' '  Yet  haply  in  some  lull  of  life. 

Some  truce  of  God  which  breaks  its  strife, 

The  worldling's  eyes  shall  gather  dew. 

Dreaming  in  throngful  city  ways 

Of  winter  joys  his  boyhood  knew; 

And  dear  and  early  friends — the  few 

Who  yet  remain — shall  pause  to  view 

These  Flemish  pictures  of  old  days;"  etc. 
But  although  children  in  the  grammar  grades  are  unable  to  catch  to 
any  considerable  degree  this  delight  of  musing  sadly  over  time-softened 
memories  of  childhood,  they  may  develop  an  interest  in  the  poem  that  will 
lead  to  later  adult  enjoyment  of  it ;  and  thus  to  the  reminiscent  attitude  to 
which  it  brings  its  adult  readers.  Besides,  they  may  catch  to  some  small 
measure  the  spirit  of  the  old  man  looking  back  upon  his  boyhood  by 
putting  themselves  emotionally  in  his  place;  just  as  in  imagination  they 
are  accustomed  to  take  the  roles  of  prince,  knight,  soldier,  Horatius  at  the 
bridge,  or  what  you  please. 

The  teacher  should  give  the  class  a  preliminary  sketch  of  the  narrative 
framework  of  the  poem.    In  this  she  should  lay  the  scene  and  describe  the 

(75) 


farm  while  telling  of  the  preparations  for  the  storm.  Then  she  should  men- 
tion, but  not  attempt  to  detail,  the  various  ways  in  which  the  snow-bound 
family  passed  the  winter's  night;  and  finally,  she  should  end  her  introduc- 
tion with  the  events  of  the  clearing  up  of  the  road  after  the  storm  had 
passed.  It  may  be  well  to  note  here  that  in  scenes  of  quiet,  commonplace 
things  it  takes  genius  such  as  Whittier  's  to  make  them  vivid,  real  and  inter- 
esting. The  teacher  who  can  tell  the  story  of  H'oratius  at  the  Bridge  in  a 
manner  to  set  the  dullest  eyes  in  the  class  room  to  starting,  may  find  her- 
self pretty  much  at  a  loss  to  make  a  quiet  fireside  evening  of  interest. 
Therefore,  she  should  leave  this  to  the  poem  and  such  interpretation  as  must 
be  woven  into  its  reading  by  her. 

Preparation  and  Presentation. 

The  teacher  who  starts  to  make  this  poem  interesting  to  children  without 
first  having  brought  herself  into  harmony  with  its  moods  and  meanings 
will  be  trying  to  carry  water  in  a  sieve.  Its  appeal  to  the  class  must  come 
from  her  enthusiasm  and  the  flavor  of  appreciation  that  her  every  expres- 
sion smacks  of.  If  this  attitude  is  not  at  first  present  she  should  try  to 
develop  it  in  herself  through  reading  the  poem  carefully,  together  with 
some  good  story  of  the  author's  life  such  as  that  found  in  each  of  the 
following: 

Cody:    Four  American  Poets;  Whittier. 

Hart:     Seven  Great  American  Poets-;  pp.  193-237. 

Bolton:    Famous  American  Authors;  pp.  399-430. 

She  should  think  of  the  story  as  a  tale  of  old-fashioned  simple  life  in 
which  the  memories  of  an  old  man  (whose  kindly  rugged  face  is  in  the 
shadow  of  every  line)  dwell  softly  over  the  scenes  of  his  childhood,  over 
the  faces  and  voices  and  little  exploits  of  those  he  loved  best,  and  over  the 
family  hearth  where  concord  and  hospitality  threw  their  halo  about  those 
who  gathered  there; — those  who  have  long  since  been  fore-gathered 
elsewhere. 

Teaching  in  this  spirit  and  with  careful  preparation  of  the  details  to  be 
emphasized  in  each  day's  work,  she  need  not  fear  that  the  class  will  fail  to 
get  from  it  all  that  it  can  carry  to  the  minds  and  feelings  of  children  in  the 
eighth  grade. 

The  following  lesson  units  are  suggested : 

I.  From  the  beginning  of  the  poem,  the  coming  of  the  storm,  to  the 
point  where  the  family  and  its  guests  gather  around  the  hearth.  (Lines 
1-154.) 

In  this  unit  the  preparations  for  the  storm  should  first  be  made  vivid 
and  real.  It  will  be  well  to  have  the  class  help  in  introducing  other  details 
besides  the  caring  for  the  barnyard  stock;  such  as  piling  up  the  wood  for 
the  great  fireplace,  bringing  plentj^  of  wa,ter  from  the  well  for  family  use 
during  the  violence  of  the  storm,  closing  the  outside  shutters  on  all  the 
windows  that  could  possibly  be  dispensed  with,  and  moving  under  cover 
all  articles  in  the  yard  that  might  be  covered  and  damaged  by  the  snow. 

The  description  of  the  farm  and  landscape  at  daybreak  on  the  second 

(76) 


morning  should  be  made  clear.  Here  the  viewpoint  to  be  taken  is  that 
taken  by  the  author:  the  wondering  amazement  of  the  children  over  the 
way  that  the  snow  has  changed  familiar  sights.  At  this  point,  while 
describing  the  various  transformations  described  in  lines  55-65,  is  the 
best  place  for  giving  an  idea  of  the  lay  of  the  house  and  out-buildings. 
A  chalk  sketch  including  the  house,  barns,  sty,  corn-crib,  (Be  sure  you 
know  what  a  corn-crib  is,)  garden  wall,  belt  of  wood,  brush-pile,  bridle 
post,  well  curb  and  sweep,  each  with  its  mantle  of  snow,  will  be  effective. 
It  should  be  developed,  detail  by  detail,  as  the  description  found  in  the 
poem  progresses.  If  the  chalk  sketch  is  too  difficult,  a  diagram  will  be 
found  helpful  in  aiding  the  class  to  visualize  the  scene. 

The  next  phase  of  the  story,  the  attention  to  the  live  stock,  may  well  be 
introduced  by  some  such  question  as,  "After  every  one  had  seen  how  the 
snow  had  covered  and  changed  all  the.  familiar  things  of  the  farm  yard, 
what  do  you  suppose  they  first  thought  of?"  Or,  ''How  do  you  suppose 
the  horse  and  oxen  and  cows  and  sheep  and  chickens  were  faring  all  this 
time?"  Then  describe  the  digging  of  the  path  and  tunnel  through  the 
snow  to  the  barn  door.  Let  such  members  of  the  class  as  have  seen  real 
snow  and  such  others  as  have  encountered  the  California  valley  imitation 
of  it  recount  experiences  in  any  way  supplementary  or  illustrative. 

Lines  92  to  115  bring  out  the  lonesome  isolation  that  the  storm  brought 
to  the  little  farm.  Its  melancholy  note  contrasts  effectively  with  the  brisk 
and  cheery  preparations  for  the  evening  that  are  described  in  the  succeeding 
lines,  116-142.  The  building  of  the  great  fire  is  the  chief  of  these  prepara- 
tions and  its  details  should  not  be  slighted.  Thousands  of  people  who  never 
saw  the  fire  burning  in  a  great  old-fashioned  fireplace  have  good,  common- 
knowledge  ideas  of  a  back  log  and  a  forestick,  and  of  how  the  wood  was 
laid  and  how  the  huge  logs  roared  and  crackled ;  and  these  ideas  should  be 
given  to  the  class.  A  chalk  sketch  may  be  introduced  showing  the  fireplace 
and  the  fire.  During  the  presentation  of  the  next  unit  the  details  of  the 
house  dog  and  cat,  the  andirons,  cider  mug,  apples,  and  basket  of  nuts 
may  be  added  to  the  picture.  Through  the  whole  scene  should  run  the 
feeling  of  warmth  and  contentment  and  love  of  home  that  possessed  those 
who  gathered  around  the  hearth. 

II.  The  second  lesson  unit  in  the  reading  and  interpretation  of  the 
poem  to  the  class  begins  with  the  gathering  of  the  family  around  the  hearth, 
line  155,  and  ends  with  the  sketch  of  the  uncle,  line  349.  It  should  be  noted 
by  the  teacher  that  the  structure  of  the  poem  from  line  224  to  line  589  is 
such  as  permits  many  different  selections  of  lesson  units.  It  will  be  possible, 
if  conditions  warrant  it,  to  organize  this  portion  into  other  lesson  unit  groups 
than  those  suggested  by  simply  breaking  the  work  at  the  points  where  one 
character  is  left  by  the  poet  and  another  one  taken  up. 

The  first  appeal  made  by  the  poem  is  to  one 's  appreciations  of  security 
and  comfort  when  sheltered  by  a  warm  fire  while  a  storm  is  howling  without. 
Everj^one  has  experienced  this  situation  and  it  will  not  be  hard  for  the 
teacher,  by  means  of  contrasting  the  wind  and  snow  and  darkness  and  cold 
without  and  the  warmth  and  good  cheer  within,  to  bring  the  class  into 

(77) 


a  full  understanding  of  the  scene.    Use  each  detail  to  show  the  satisfaction 
there  must  have  been  in  having  so  pleasant  a  refuge  from  so  wild  a  night. 

Bring  out  the  meaning  of  the  following  phrases:  clean-winged  hearth; 
frostline;  shook  beam  and  rafter;  lines  167-168;  andirons.  In  connection 
with  line  174  explain  the  New  England  custom  of  autumn  nut-gathering. 

Lines  179-211  form  a  digression  from  the  story  proper, — a  digression  in 
which  the  author  falls  into  a  state  of  subjective  reflection  and  philosophizing. 
In  it  the  attitude  of  the  lonely  old  man  crowds  out  everything  else.  This 
passage,  with  its  deep  autobiographical  interest  and  its  beautiful  expression 
of  faith  in  eternal  life,  has  double  hold  on  the  adult;  but  its  claims  are 
not  so  easily  established  in  the  appreciations  of  children.  The  teacher  need 
not,  therefore,  attempt  to  bring  it  home  to  the  hearts  of  the  children  by 
systematic  exploitation.  It  will  be  better  to  read  it  with  a  few  interpreta- 
tions interwoven,  in  order  that  the  class  may  know  what  it  is  about  and 
feel  the  charm  of  its  expression,  and  then  to  leave  its  full  significance  to 
reveal  itself  in  other  years  when  the  adult  viewpoint  shall  have  been  reached. 

Next  follow  the  details  of  how  the  evening  was  passed.  These  may  be 
introduced  by  the  question,  ' '  Now  that  the  family  are  all  seated  around  the 
fire,  what  do  you  suppose  they  did  to  pass  the  evening  ? ' '  Stories,  puzzles, 
and  riddles  then,  as  now,  held  first  place,  but  even  the  school  reader  was 
called  upon  to  yield  up  its  contents.  (Do  you  suppose  there  were  many 
books  or  novels  to  be  had  then?) 

When  the  father  told  his  stories  what  sort  do  you  think  they  were,— book 
stories  or  stories  from  his  own  life?  Bring  out  the  interesting  side  to 
each  of  his  reminiscences;  thus,  the  horseback  journeys  over  the  country, 
with  their  experiences  with  Indians  and  French-Canadians.  Was  the 
country  well  settled  then?  Why  didn't  he  ride  on  a  train  instead  of  on 
horseback  ?  Why  didn  't  he  stop  in  a  hotel  instead  of  camping  out  with  the 
Indians?  Lines  228-235  should  recall  the  simple  gaiety  of  the  Acadians  in 
their  festivities,  as  described  in  Evangeline.  Lines  236-241  give  a  picture 
of  an  old-time  haying  scene.  Make  its  details  clear.  Bring  out  the  full 
appreciation  of  the  following:  What  sort  of  work  was  scythe-mowing,  and 
what  sort  of  men  did  it  require  ?  What  is  a  bee-line  ?  Lines  240-241  should 
give  a  picture  of  a  series  of  mowers  at  short  intervals  and  in  regular  series 
working  across  the  tide  marsh. 

Lines  242-247  bring  out  the  pleasures  of  fishing  and  camping  out  along 
the  coast.  They  give  a  glimpse  of  a  situation  that  will  be  interesting 
enough  to  any  boy.  Lines  248-25'5  contain  little  to  interpret  except  the 
allusion  to  witchcraft  ard  magic.  Quote  some  anecdote  or  illustration  to 
show  the  sort  of  stories  that  the  people  of  Whittier's  boyhood  were  so 
interested  in.     (See,  for  example, 

Madison :  A  Maid  of  Salem  Towme. 

Price:  Lads  and  Lassies  of  Long  Ago;  pp  64-84.) 

Bring  out  here,  as  in  the  balance  of  the  poem,  the  delight  there  is  in 
F:imple  homely  pleasures,  and  the  charm  of  romance  that  even  commonplace 
events  have  for  one  who  enters  into  them  with  whole-souled  zest. 


(78) 


III.  First  ask  the  class  what  sort  of  work  the  thrifty  mother  would 
probably  be  doing  as  the  family  sat  about  the  fire.  After  reading  the  lines 
involved,  have  some  one  describe  a  spinning-wheel.  Bring  out  the  fact  that 
Whittier's  family,  as  was  the  New  England  custom  in  those  days,  raised 
the  wool,  carded,  spun  and  wove  it,  and  then  made  it  up  into  clothes  for 
the  whole  family,— complete  suits  of  clothes  for  men  and  boys  as  well  as 
dresses  for  the  girls.  Let  the  class  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  simplicity  in  the 
sort  of  life  where  one  is  practically  independent  of  all  others  in  supplying 
the  necessaries  of  life.  Who  would  like  to  live  that  way  ?  Why  would  it  be 
pleasanter?  Wouldn't  it  make  for  great  peace  of  mind  and  a  sturdy  self- 
dependence  ? 

Ask  the  class  how  they  supposed  the  children  liked  to  hear  the  Indian 
stories,  and  whether  or  not  they  have  ever  asked  their  parents  to  tell  such 
tales  to  them.  Explain  fully  lines  260-261 ;  also,  269-272.  Ask  the  children 
to  tell  about  the  sounds  mentioned  in  lines  273-275.  (N.  B.  The  hawks 
played;  but  they  did  not  play  the  boat  horn!)  What  sort  of  a  region  was 
it  where  such  sounds  were  to  be  heard  ?  If  the  teacher  or  any  member  of  the 
class  has  ever  heard  the  call  of  the  loon  it  will  not  be  hard  to  supply  the 
reason  for  the  phrase,  "As  crazy  as  a  loon."  Compare  the  girlhood  pleas- 
ures of  the  mother  as  described  in  linas  276-283  with  the  pleasures  of  the 
present-day  town  or  city  girl.  In  looking  back  over  her  girlhood,  did  she 
seem  to  regret  that  she  had  not  had  a  different  lot?  Were  her  memories 
pleasant  ones? 

Lines  284-288  should  be  used  as  a  sidelight  upon  the  religion  of  the 
Whittiers.  Develop  the  fact,  (line  288,)  that  the  Quakers  were  scorned 
and  often  cruelly  persecuted.  Let  some  member  of  the  class  give  illustra- 
tions. Bring  out  the  meaning  of  ''fire-winged"  in  the  fact  that  oppression 
and  martyrdom  do  not  crush  out  but  on  the  other  hand  rather  give  wings 
to  the  progress  of  any  sect. 

In  Chalkley's  story  is  found  not  only  a  curious  old  tale,  but  one  which 
involves  the  horror  climax  common  to  many  stories  of  becalmed  and  ship- 
wrecked sailors,— the  sacrifice  of  one  in  order  that  the  rest  may  have  food. 

Let  the  class  conclude  the  sketch  by  telling  what  sort  of  a  woman  the 
mother  was:  cheerful,  mild- voiced,  always  busy,  and  deeply  religious  in  a 
quiet,  Quaker-like  way.  Have  some  of  the  pupils  tell  which  of  the  many 
things  that  she  told  about  they  think  the  most  interesting. 

IV.  The  sketch  of  the  uncle  is  filled  with  the  local  color  of  rural  life 
among  the  hills  of  New  England.  Bring  out  the  enjoyment  that  there  was 
in  the  simple  country  pastimes  and  rural  exploits  of  the  uncle.  Let  members 
of  the  class  call  up  similar  experiences  of  their  own  or  of  members  of  their 
families.  Have  the  class  point  out  such  details  as  are  not  to  be  found  in 
California,  such  as,  parish  bounds,  partridge,  mink,  woodchuck,  musk-rat. 
Let  them  then  suggest  such  things  of  nature  as  would  have  interested  the 
uncle  had  he  lived  here :  deer,  coyotes,  quail,  redwood  trees,  great  mountains, 
etc. 

In  connection  with  the  reference  to  Appolonius  and  Hermes,  lines  320- 

(79) 


323,  outline  the  story  told  about  Melampus  in  Bulfinch's  Age  of  Fable;  p. 
244. 

Do  not  quiz  the  class  on  any  of  the  allusions  found  in  this  section  or  make 
it  necessary  for  the  pupils  to  remember  them.  They  have  a  passing 
value  in  the  interpretation  of  the  lines  wherein  they  occur ;  but  beyond  that 
the  pupil  will  find  them  of  no  use. 

V.  The  sketch  of  the  aunt  brings  in  allusions  to  the  old-time  pleasures  of 
husking  and  apple  bees.  Let  the  pupils  describe  them.  Have  the  pupils 
tell  whether  in  their  opinion  the  maiden  aunt  was  mother's  or  father's 
sister.  What  shows  you  that  the  relatives  were  always  welcome  at  the 
Whittier  home?  Do  you  think  that  guests  in  those  days  pitched  in  and 
helped  the  mother  with  the  work,  or  sat  around  and  allowed  themselves  to 
be  waited  on  ?  Why  were  visitors  so  welcome  ?  Were  the  Whittiers  the  sort 
of  people  who  would  try  to  make  a  flashing  show  when  company  was  in  the 
house  ? 

Why  is  there  no  account  of  how  the  sisters  entertained  the  assembled 
family?  Bring  out  the  fact  that  in  those  days  the  young  people  had  little 
to  say  when  the- older  members  of  the  family  were  disposed  to  talk.  Prob- 
ably, also,  the  bitter  memory  of  the  loss  of  the  two  sisters  overshadows  in 
Whittier 's  mind  his  other  memories  of  them.  In  the  treatment  of  the  por- 
tions of  the  poem  dealing  with  the  sisters  there  is  need  for  little  interpreta- 
tion. Bring  out  how  dearly  Whittier  loved  his  sisters.  Which  one  did  he 
care  the  most  for?  Which  one  would  he  miss  the  more, — the  one  who  had 
died  years  before,  or  the  one  who  had  been  with  him  only  a  few  months  before 
he  wrote  the  lines?  Bring  out  the  music  and  pathos  in  lines  407-437  by  a 
sympathetic  reading.  Be  sure  that  the  central  thought  is  clear :  the  bitter- 
ness of  present  loss,  tempered  by  the  faith  in  a  reunion  afterwards. 

VI.  The  sketch  of  the  district  school  teacher  is  so  fresh,  brisk,  and  vivid 
that  it  will  be  easy  to  secure  a  class  interest  in  it;  especially  as  it  presents  a 
familiar  character  in  a  novel  and  interesting  light.  Two  results  should  be 
striven  for  in  presenting  this  part  of  the  poem :  first,  a  good  appreciation  of 
the  old-time  district  school  teacher  in  the  person  of  the  ambitious  young 
man  working  his  way  through  an  education ;  second,  a  true  insight  into  the 
good,  wholesome,  human  nature  of  this  particular  teacher,  and  through  him 
a  more  sympathetic  understanding  of  teachers  as  a  class.  Arouse  a  friendly 
interest  in  his  fortunes  and  experiences.  He  was  one  of  the  many  of  his 
time  who  worked  his  way  through  college  by  vacation  efforts;  sometimes 
peddling,  at  other  times  teaching  little  rural  schools.  It  is  in  this  latter 
capacity  that  we  meet  him  quartered  at  the  Whittier  house  in  the  course  of 
his  regular  cycle  of  boarding  'round.  Explain  what  boarding  'round  was 
and  what  some  of  the  "droll  experiences"  (line  458)  may  have  been.  Have 
the  different  games  explained  and  find  out  which  ones  are  still  played.  Show 
in  each  activity  with  which  he  is  credited  how  pleasant  a  guest  he  was  to 
liave  about  the  place,  and  try  to  get  the  class  into  the  attitude  of  the  Whit- 
tiers,— that  of  hearty  interest  in  and  love  for  him  as  the  school  teacher. 

Linas  480-509  are  a  philosophical  digression  on  human  slavery,— its  evil 

(80) 


consequences  and  the  education  that  is  to  remedy  them.  This  part  of  the 
poem  is  wedged  into  the  story  proper  and  has  no  more  vital  relation  to  it 
than  the  same  amount  of  space  would  have  if  devoted  to  the  immigration 
question  or  the  single  tax  issue.  The  teacher  should  read  it,  and  interpre- 
tation should  be  interwoven  sufficient  to  bring  out  this  single  point :  Whit- 
tier  sees  in  the  young  teacher  the  type  of  those  men  who  are  to  bring 
education  to  the  South  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  and  who  will  thus  elevate 
the  negro  and  improve  the  general  tone  of  the  country. 

In  this  part  the  teacher  again  has  the  necessity  of  deciding  what  is  an 
allusion  worth  taking  up  and  what  is  worth  but  scanty  notice.  The  two 
references  (lines  476  and  478)  illustrate  these  two  classes.  "Pindus-born 
Araxes"  is  a  somewhat  scholarly  allusion  meant  to  convey  no  other  impres- 
sion than  that  the  river  referred  to  is  a  stream  figuring  dimly  somewhere  in 
classic  lore.  It  should  be  thus  explained  and  allowed  to  slip  by  without 
question.  (In  a  foot-note  to  this  line  in  a  well-known  and  much-used  edition 
of  the  poem  the  following  note  appears:  ''Pindus  is  the  mountain  chain 
which,  running  from  north  to  south,  nearly  bisects  Greece.  Five  rivers 
take  their  rise  from  the  central  peak,  the  Aous,  the  Arachthus,  the  Haliac- 
mon,  the  Peneus,  and  the  Achelous. ' '  Think  of  the  harrowing  ways  in  which 
this  reference  and  conjoined  note  may  be  used  by  the  teacher  if  she  fails 
to  challenge  it  for  its  real  value  and  to  trim  its  exploitation  in  accordance 
therewith!) 

''Dread  Olympus,"  however,  is  an  allusion  of  the  stock  sort.  The  class 
should  be  familiar  with  its  meaning  from  their  early  stories  in  Greek 
mythology.  Questions  should  be  asked  upon  it  sufficient  to  bring  out  the 
fact  that  Mount  Olympus,  in  Greece,  was  the  sacred  mountain  upon  whose 
summit  the  Gods  dwelled.  Naturally  it  was  an  object  of  awe  and  dread 
to  the  Greek  people. 

VII.  The  introduction  to  "Miss  Harriet  Livermore,  daughter  of  Judge 
Livermore  of  New  Hampshire,  etc.,"  has  few  if  any  values  for  an  eighth 
grade.  Indeed,  the  poem  would  be  better  off  from  any  standpoint  if  she 
had  been  omitted.  She  is  clearly  not  of  the  life  of  the  "Whittiers  or  of  the 
picture  of  that  life;  nor  is  she  a  type  of  anything  else.  Her  personality, 
ciiaracter,  manners,  and  ways  are  contradictory  and  full  of  such  subtle 
changes  and  shades  of  change  that  it  is  hard  for  children  to  get  a  good  idea 
of  her.  Whatever  the  interest  she  may  have  aroused  in  the  young  Whit- 
tiers, she  arouses  little  in  us,  but  enters  the  family  circle  as  an  element 
wholly  foreign.  In  order  to  get  through  this  part  of  the  poem  with  any 
results  to  the  class,  it  will  be  necessary  to  describe  this  ' '  not  unf eared,  half- 
Avelcome  guest"  as  well  as  possible  in  advance  and  to  tell  of  her  strange 
adventures  in  the  Orient.  Then  the  lines  shoud  be  read  with  enough  inter- 
pretation to  bring  out  her  eccentricities  and  the  sharp  contrast  that 
they  make  with  the  even-tenored  life  of  the  Whittiers.  Lines  563-589 
should  be  read  with  emphasis  on  the  music  in  them.  Interpret  just  enough 
to  bring  out  the  idea  that  Whittier  had  only  kindly  wishes  and  generous 


(]— BUL.  5  (81) 


sympathy  for  the  strange  guest.     Do  not  drag  the  class  into  a  meaningless 
attempt  to  discuss  the  theories  of  free  will  and  fatalism. 

VIII.  In  the  coming  of  bedtime  are  found  several  crisp  details  that  help 
out  our  picture  of  life  in  the  snow-bound  farm  house. 

First,  the  early  bedtime  hour  of  nine  and  the  fact  that  the  black  hand 
of  the  clock  was  sufficient  to  enforce  the  demands  of  the  hour.  Bring  out 
the  difference  between  this  peaceful  enforcement  of  the  bedtime  law  among 
the  children,  and  the  nagging,  miserable  struggle  that  there  is  in  some 
families  to  get  the  children  into  bed. 

Second,  the  reference  to  the  uncle's  pipe. 

Third,  the  covering  of  the  coals.  Let  the  children  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  this  and  the  origin  of  the  phrase,  "I've  come  to  borrow  a  coal  of 
iire." 

Fourth,  the  mother's  prayer.  Bring  out  the  kindly  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  all  that  the  mother  showed,  and  emphasize  the  spirit  in  which  she 
prayed:  asking  for  things  that  she  was  more  than  willing  to  pitch  in  and 
help  secure.  And  note,  too,  the  simplicity  of  the  things  prayed  for,  and  yet 
their  complete  sufficiency. 

Lines  614-628  contain  a  number  of  concrete  experiences  that  recall  to 
every  one  the  feeling  of  security  that  has  been  enjoyed  while  the  worst  of 
weather  prevailed  without.  Here  is  a  good  place  to  bring  out  the  experi- 
ences of  the  class  with  the  sound  of  pattering  rain  on  the  roof  at  night. 
It  is  a  California  situation  that  compares  favorably  with  that  described  in 
the  poem. 

In  this  portion  of  the  poem  is  an  abundance  of  details  with  which  to 
complete  the  picture  of  simple  life.  Bring  out  the  difference  between 
all  the  situations  found  in  lines  590-628  and  their  parallel  situations  of 
to-day;  and  show  the  happiness,  contentment,  and  solid  comfort  of  body 
and  spirit  that  the  simple  farm  life  brought  the  Whittiers. 

IX.  In  the  next  section,  lines  629-673,  we  find  that  the  storm  hai5  passed 
and  that  the  farmers  are  busy  breaking  out  the  roads  so  that  necessary 
local  communication  can  be  established.  Three  special  reactions  should 
be  given  the  class  from  these  lines:  First,  as  clear  a  picture  as  possible  of 
the  ox  train  breaking  out  the  drifts  and  an  appreciation  of  the  purpose  of 
it.  Second,  a  keen  enjoyment,  by  proxy,  of  the  delight  that  the  young 
people  felt  at  being  free  again  and  how  they  improved  the  occasion  with  all 
the  fun  that  could  be  gotten  from  fresh  snow.  Third,  the  picture  of  the 
country  doctor, — autocratic,  prompt,  generous,  full  of  kindness, — busjnng 
himself  in  the  welfare  of  the  scattered  farmers.  The  class  is  well-enough 
acquainted  with  Mrs.  Whittier  by  this  time  to  tell,  in  answer  to  questions, 
just  what  she  would  be  glad  to  do  in  helping  out  the  doctor. 

X.  Lines  674-714  show  us  how  the  family  passed  the  days  with  their 
limited  stock  of  printed  matter  until  the  roads  were  open  and  the  weekly 
paper  came  to  them.  Bring  out  the  fact  that  the  family  loved  to  read,  even 
if  it  had  only  a  small  stock  of  things  to  read.  Describe  an  almanac.  What 
members  of  the  class  have  read  one  ?     What  is  to  be  found  in  an  almanac  ? 

(82) 


Find  out  from  the  class  what  novels  the  different  members  have  read  and 
.  tell  them  of  some  of  the  books  available  from  the  list  of  books  for  the  class 
to  read.     Point  out  how  glad  the  Whittiers  would  have  been  to  have  had 
such  books.     What  sort  of  poetry  do  you  suppose  Ellwood's  was? 

The  coming  of  the  weekly  paper  was  a  great  event  in  the  snow-bound 
home.     The  following  considerations  should  be  emphasized  in  discussing  it : 

1.  Explain  the  meaning  of  the  news  items,  and,  by  reference  to  them,  fix 
the  time  of  the  events  of  the  poem;  but  do  not  make  them  objects  of  class 
research  nor  give  them  any  intrinsic  importance. 

2.  Have  the  class  notice  the  different  sorts  of  information  found  in  the 
paper:  foreign  news,  national  news,  local  news,  criminal  and  sensational 
news,  poets'  corner,  weather  prophecies,  lost  and  found  notices,  and  adver- 
tisements of  every  sort. 

3.  Let  the  pupils  compare  this  old  country  paper  with  our  modern 
dailies. 

4.  Try  to  get  them  to  see  that  it  is  not  mere  bulk,  or  frequency  of  issue, 
or  telegraph  service,  that  makes  a  useful  paper.  That  it  is  rather  its 
adjustment  to  our  needs,  its  decency  of  content  and  its  trustworthiness  that 
commend  it  to  us ;  or  at  least  that  should. 

In  the  conclusion,  lines  715-759,  Whittier  again  lapses  into  the  frame  of 
mind  of  a  lonesome  old  man  yielding  himself  to  a  melancholy  contempla- 
tion of  the  things  that  have  passed.  It  should  be  read  with  feeling,  for  it 
is  charged  with  it  by  the  author,  and  the  class  should  be  brought  to  appre- 
ciate the  sad  melody  that  runs  in  its  rhythm.  By  way  of  interpretation  the 
following  should  be  brought  out :  Who  is  the  Angel  of  the  backward  look  ? 
Why  has  he  a  book?  Why  associate  the  hour-glass  with  him?  Make  it 
clear  that  Whittier,  though  sad  for  the  past  that  is  gone,  is  hopeful  of  the 
present  and  the  future ;  that  he  is  not  one  of  those  who  feel  that  the  old 
times  were  better  than  the  new.  What  is  the  aloe?  Make  clear  the  object 
of  the  poem  as  expressed  in  lines  740-750.  Bring  out  the  rare  harmony 
in  the  allusion  to  ''Flemish  pictures." 

When  the  study  of  the  poem  has  been  completed  the  following  exercises 
are  suggested  in  order  that  its  full  values  may  be  secured  by  the  class : 

First — A  discussion  of  the  various  pleasures  there  were  in  the  Whittier 
home  in  winter  time.  Bring  out  through  questions  all  the  details  sug- 
gested by  the  poem. 

Second — How  did  the  family  get  along  together,  and  why  were  they  all 
so  happy?  Bring  out  here  the  simple  arrangement  of  home  duties:  how 
every  one  had  his  share  to  do ;  how  the  work  was  made  play  or  mixed  with 
play ;  how  each  one  thought  of  the  others  before  himself ;  how  cheerfulness 
and  helpfulness  had  become  habits  to  the  whole  family. 

Third — What  pleasures  were  there  on  the  farm  in  other  seasons  of  the 
year?  Have  the  class  supply  such  activities  as  the  following:  swimming; 
hunting;  gathering  roots  and  herbs;  nutting;  husking  bees;  quilting  parties; 
picnics  on  the  beach. 

Fourth  — Bring  out  that  it  did  not  take  the  telephone,  rural  delivery, 
windmill,  expensive  house,  many  magazines,  automobile,  and  other  common 

(83) 


things  of  to-day  to  make  the  Whittiers  happy.  If  the  poem  has  been  well 
taught  it  will  be  safe  to  say  that  the  whole  class  will  be  ready  to  change 
places  and  times  with  the  young  Whittiers.  Have  some  of  the  members 
who  feel  most  strongly  this  way  give  their  reasons  for  their  feelings. 

Fifth — Have  the  pupils  pick  out  lines  that  they  wish  to  memorize,  not 
less  than  fifteen  and  preferably  in  two  different  places  in  the  poem.  If 
ideas  are  slow  in  this  selection,  quicken  the  tastes  by  reading  aloud  some  of 
the  most  beautiful  passages,  such  as:  Lines  1-14,;  155-175;  203-211;  405- 
437,  or  any  subdivision  of  it ;  715-740 ;  740-759,  or  any  part  of  it. 

Cumulative  Review. 

1.  About  what  does  the  poem,  Snow-Bound,  tell  us  ? 

2.  In  what  part  of  our  country  was  the  home  of  the  Whittiers  located? 

3.  How  did  the  Whittier  family  spend  the  winter  evenings? 

4.  Which  personal  sketch  in  the  poem  pleases  you  most?     Why? 

5.  Why  was  the  life  of  the  Whittiers  so  pleasant? 

6.  Give  from  memory  those  parts  of  the  poem  which  you  like  best. 

7.  Of  what  country  was  Whittier  a  citizen,  and  when  did  he  live  and 
write  ? 

For  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  100.) 
Other  Well-Known  Works  by  Whitti!er  : 

Barbara  Frietchie. 

Maud  Muller. 
General  Reading. 

Morris:  Woodman,  Spare  that  Tree. 

Hood:  Past  and  Present,  ("I  remember,  I  remember"). 

Woodworth :  The  Old  Oaken  Bucket. 

Wiggin:  Rebecca  of  Sunnyhrooh  Farm. 

Kipling:  Captains  Courageous. 

Twain :  Tom  Sawyer. 

Twain :  Huckleberry  Finn. 


(S4) 


THL  MAN  WITHOUT  A  COUNTRY, 


General  Remarks  and  Sug'g'estions. 

Edward  Everett  Hale  wrote  The  Man  Without  a  Country  during  the 
Civil  War.  He  wrote  it  so  that  men  in  that  day  might  be  brought  to  feel  the 
full  strength  of  the  bond  that  held  them  to  their  nation.  There  was  grave 
need,  even  in  the  North,  for  a  stimulus  to  the  sentiment  of  loyalty  to 
country  then,  and  this  story  helped  to  meet  the  need.  This  need  still  con. 
tinues,  and  always  will  continue,  although  the  Civil  War  is  no  longer  its 
occasion.  There  are  so  many  other  occasions  in  these  ''piping  times  of 
peace"  for  men  to  fail  in  sentiments  of  forthright  loyalty,  so  many  ten- 
sions seek  to  draw  allegiance  from  the  welfare  of  the  state  and  nation,  that 
the  story  it  still  almost  as  useful  as  it  was  in  the  days  that  called  it  forth. 

In  a  recent  preface  the  author  has  said :  ' '  It  does  not  need  now  that  a 
man  should  curse  the  United  States,  as  Philip  Nolan  did,  or  that  he  should 
say  he  hopes  he  may  never  hear  her  name  again,  to  make  it  desirable  for 
him  to  consider  the  lessons  which  are  involved  in  the  parable  of  his  life. 
Any  man  is  'without  a  country'  who,  'by  his  sneers,  or  by  looking  back- 
ward, or  by  revealing  his  country's  secrets  to  her  enemy,  checks  for  one 
hour  the  movements  which  lead  to  peace  among  the  nations  of  the  world,  or 
weakens  the  arm  of  the  nation  in  her  determination  to  secure  justice 
between  man  and  man,  and  in  general  to  secure  'the  larger  life  of  her  peo- 
ple.' He  has  not  damned  the  United  States  in  a  spoken  oath.  All  the 
same  he  is  a  dastard  child. ' ' 

The  mental  and  emotional  attitudes  aroused  by  the  story  of  Philip  Nolan 
are,  therefore,  no  less  to  be  sought  now  than  forty-five  years  ago.  This  is 
the  more  true  in  that  the  nation  now  has  to  bring  a  larger  infusion  of 
adopted  children  into  the  bonds  of  loyalty. 

A  rational  pride  of  country,  like  a  rational  pride  of  family,  is  a  factor 
making  for  individual  decency.  Moreover,  it  is  in  itself  a  good  thing,  even 
a  necessary  thing,  demanded  by  the  standards  of  our  civilization.  The 
nian  who  is  dead  to  all  interest  in  his  country's  welfare  is  still  an  outcast 
and  a  social  exile,  just  as  Philip  Nolan  was.  Invisible  seas  part  him  from 
the  life  of  his  day ;  much  of  the  pleasant  intercourse  of  literature  and  speech 
and  community  life  is  cut  off  from  him.  He  is  more  like  a  cave  man  than  an 
American.  As  one  means  to  the  end  that  this  may  not  be.  The  Man  Without 
a  Country  has  found  a  place  in  our  grammar  school  literature  course. 

Preparation  and  Presentation. 

The  surface  as  well  as  the  deeper  values  to  be  gained  from  The  Man 
Without  a  Country  will  be  best  attained  by  presenting  the  story  for  all 
that  it  is  worth  as  an  absorbing  story.     Its  situations,  characters,  issues, 

(85) 


and  problems  should  be  brought  to  the  appreciation  of  the  class  as  details 
of  vivid  interest.  Philip  Nolan  must  be  made  mentally  real.  The  various 
experiences  through  which  he  passed  must  be  drawn  so  clearly  as  to  afford 
strong  stimulus  to  the  emotions  which  they  are  designed  to  arouse.  The 
class  must  appreciate  the  elements  of  mystery,  tragedy,  pathos,  and  patriot- 
ism shown  in  the  events  of  the  story.  Abstract  moralization  has  no  place 
in  the  work.  Its  introduction  will  defeat  its  own  end.  Not  by  the  preach- 
ing of  the  teacher,  but  by  the  charm  and  strength  of  the  story  will  the  gen- 
eral truth  best  be  made  knowm.  And  the  charm  and  strength  of  the  story 
depend  upon  its  presentation  for  all  that  it  is  worth  as  a  story  full  of 
moving  situations. 

The  following  special  lines  of  preparation  should  be  made  by  the  teacher 
before  the  story  is  taken  up  in  the  class : 

1.  She  should  read  the  preface,  the  story  and  the  notes  as  found  in  the 
copyrighted  edition*. 

2.  She  should  establish  in  her  own  mind  the  most  important  elements  of 
the  atmosphere  of  the  story.     These  are, — 

(a)  The  state  of  affairs  in  the  territory  of  Louisiana  and  in  Texas  dur- 
ing the  decade  following  the  Louisiana  Purchase.  This  involves  some  notion 
of  the  wildness  and  remotenass  of  the  new  territory,  the  adventurous  char- 
acter of  its  few  American  inhabitants,  and  the  condition  of  border  ill-feeling 
that  existed  between  the  Americans  and  the  Spaniards  along  the  unde- 
fined boundary  line. 

(h)  A  brief  review  of  the  facts  concerning  Aaron  Burr  and  his  "Western 
schemes.  The  winning  personality  of  Burr,  his  national  fame,  his  diffi- 
culties with  the  administration,  his  duel  with  Hamilton,  and  finally  his 
visions  of  empire  in  the  west  should  be  clear.  Especially  clear  should  be 
the  idea  that  selfish  ambition  was  the  key  to  his  life. 

(c)  An  understanding  of  the  times  sufficient  to  interpret  the  significance 
of  the  situations  into  which  Philip  Nolan  fell  when  his  life  on  the  sea  began : 
the  fact  that  the  world  was  larger  to  a  wanderer  then  than  now ;  that  ships 
often  left  on  cruises  of  two  and  three  years;  that  the  War  of  1812  would 
naturally  involve  the  vessel  on  which  Nolan  happened  to  be  at  that  time; 
that  the  horrors  of  the  slave  trade  had  been  prohibited  by  law  and  were 
being  suppressed. 

3.  References,  allusions,  and  foreign  idiomatic  quotations  must  be  under- 
stood fully  by  the  teacher  so  that  she  can  interpret  them  when  the  text  is 
before  the  class.     (See  page  90.) 

4.  Above  all,  the  plot  of  the  story  must  be  perfectly  clear  to  the  teacher; 
critical  situations  must  be  appreciated  for  their  full  meaning ;  motives  and 
impulses  should  be  understood  in  all  their  aspects;  and  the  emotional 
attitudes  which  the  story  is  designed  to  stimulate  must  be  experienced. 

The  story  should  then  be  told  by  the  teacher  to  the  class.  It  should  take 
the  form  of  a  brief  but  vivid  sketch  of  the  text  version,  involving  the  details 
of  the  main  situation,  but  not  supplying  all  the  minor  circumstances.  The 
following  should  be  emphasized  in  it: 

♦Published  by  Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  Boston-,  Mass. 

(86) 


1.  The  life  of  Philip  Nolan  on  the  southwestern  frontier. 

2.  The  influence  of  Burr  over  him  and  how  it  led  him  from  loyalty  to  his 
country.  Bring  out  the  fact  that  Nolan  was  not  only  an  American,  but  an 
officer  in  the  national  army  as  well,  and  hence  was  doubly  bound  to  loyalty. 
Develop,  also,  all  the  conditions  that  made  his  disloyalty  easy:  his  life 
remote  from  fellow  Americans  and  from  national  affairs ;  the  personality  of 
Burr;  the  tempting  opportunity  oft'ered  to  disloyal  ambition  by  the  wild 
regions  of  Texas  and  Louisiana  Territory,  The  point  to  be  clinched  by  all 
this  is  that  his  treason  had  every  possible  excuse, — and  yet  had  no  justi- 
fication. 

3.  The  trial  and  the  sentence  of  the  court-martial.  This  scene  should  be 
given  in  full  detail.  Bring  out,  especially,  the  horror  that  Nolan's  wild 
renunciation  of  his  country  aroused  in  the  old  officer  who  judged  him.  Be 
sure  that  the  fitness  of  the  judgment  is 'made  clear. 

4.  How  the  sentence  was  executed.  In  this  should  be  explained  the  way 
in  which  the  prisoner  was  kept  on  the  seas  by  means  of  transfer  from  ship 
to  ship.  The  details  of  his  life  on  board  ship  should  be  dwelled  upon :  how 
he  was  a  man  set  apart  from  the  dearest  interests  of  his  fellows  in  that  no 
reference  to  home  and  country  was  ever  made  in  his  presence.  Describe 
in  a  general  way  how  he  passed  from  sea  to  sea  and  ship  to  ship  and  always 
found  himself  alone.  Bring  out  the  routine  of  his  life  and  let  the  class 
see  that  no  additional  punishment  was  heaped  upon  the  fate  which  he  had 
sought, — never  to  hear  of  his  country.  Nothing  else  was  lacking  to  him, 
and  yet  the  main  bond  between  himself  and  his  fellows  was  missing  and 
could  never  be  replaced.  In  one  respect  he  was  as  if  dead.  The  various 
situations  arising  in  his  life  at  sea  which  show  what  he  suffered  should  be 
left  until  the  text  is  taken  up  by  the  class. 

When  the  story  has  thus  been  sketched  briefly  as  above  outlined,  the  text 
should  be  put  into  the  hands  of  the  children.  They  should  follow  the 
teacher  on  their  books  as  she  reads  and  interprets  the  story.  Here,  as  in  all 
cases  where  the  teacher  reads  to  the  class,  the  success  of  the  work  will  depend 
largely  upon  what  light  she  throws  upon  each  point  as  it  arises  and  what 
class  activity  her  leading  questions  are  able  to  arouse.  So  much  new  mean- 
ing and  so  many  new  points  of  interest  should  be  discovered  as  to  prevent 
all  flavor  of  staleness  from  entering  the  work. 

The  text  reading  and  the  interpretation  begin  with  the  notice  of  Nolan's 
death,  which  event  should  not  be  included  in  the  preliminary  account  given 
by  the  teacher.  Thus  a  fresh  interest  is  aroused  in  the  very  first  stage  of 
the  reading.  The  teacher  should  explain  that  the  writer,  the  "I"  of  the 
story,  is  supposed  to  be  a  retired  officer  of  the  navy  and  one  who  would 
in  consequence  know  about  the  facts  of  Nolan's  case. 

From  the  first  line  to  the  last  the  author  has  used  the  utmost  art  to  give 
his  tale  the  aspect  of  literal  truth  carefully  expressed.  So  well  has  this 
been  done  that  it  is  fairly  impossible  for  one  immersed  in  the  story  to  doubt 
the  veracity  of  each  progressive  step.  The  teacher  should  preserve  this 
illusion  of  fidelity  to  fact  until  the  story  is  finished,  because  of  the  realistic 

(87) 


force  it  gives  to  all  the  situations.  If  in  the  beginning  any  pupil  should  ask 
whether  or  not  it  is  a  true  tale,  the  answer  is  that  that  is  one  of  the  things  for 
the  class  to  find  out.  At  the  end  of  the  work  a  discussion  should  be  held  as 
to  the  probability  and  possibility  of  its  truth,  and  by  this  discussion  it  should 
be  brought  out  that  the  story  is  simply  a  great  parable  on  patriotism  called 
forth  by  the  times  in  which  it  was  written. 

The  teacher  will  find  occasion  for  continual  class  activity  during  the 
presentation  of  the  text.  In  almost  every  sentence  is  a  point  to  be  made 
clearer  by  a  fitting  question.  The  more  important  points  that  should  be 
made  specially  clear  are  the  following: 

1.  The  mystery  surrounding  the  Man  Without  a  Country  whose  death 
notice  opens  the  text  reading. 

2.  The  scene  at  the  court-martial.  In  this  should  be  shown  the  extreme 
of  disloyalty  to  which  Nolan  went  and,  by  way  of  contrast,  the  effect  of  his 
actions  on  old  Colonel  Morgan. 

3.  The  order  of  the  President  and  the  methods  adopted  on  board  ship  to 
give  it  effect.  Note  the  care  with  which  the  author  builds  up  the  impres- 
sion of  authentic  fact  in  this  stage  of  the  story. 

4.  The  incident  of  the  reading  of  the  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel.  In  this 
the  reader  gets  his  first  insight  into  the  depth  of  punishment  that  Nolan 
suffered.  Bring  out  the  point  that  this  marks  the  end  of  his  self-confidence 
and  the  beginning  of  his  suffering  and  repentance.  The  scene  found  here 
is  a  most  dramatic  one  and  should  be  made  mentally  visible  to  the  class. 

5.  The  dance  on  board  the  "Warren,"  during  which  Nolan  found  that 
there  was  no  hope  for  him  to  ever  get  into  touch  with  home  or  national 
affairs  again.  This,  also,  affords  a  striking  picture  which  should  be  made; 
clear.  Bring  out  the  fact  that  as  a  Man  Without  a  Country,  Nolan  was  well 
treated ;  but  that  no  one  would  reach  out  a  hand  to  lighten  his  punishment 
that  he  had  brought  down  upon  his  own  head. 

6.  The  sea  fight  in  which  Nolan  proves  his  bravery  and  his  repentance. 
Show  through  sharp  details  the  splendid  service  done  by  the  Man  Without, 
a  Country  and  the  just  honor  given  him  for  it.  But  bring  out  the  fact 
that  nothing  was  now  of  force  sufficient  to  break  down  the  barrier  that  he 
had  placed  between  himself  and  the  nation  that  he  had  disowned.  At  this 
point  the  reader,  like  the  old  sea  captain,  is  ready  to  forgive  the  wretched 
fellow ;  but  the  consequences'  of  his  disloyalty  are  not  to  be  checked.  There 
is  and  can  be  no  parole  for  one  who  has  committed  treason. 

7.  The  narrow,  methodical  life  that  was  left  to  him.  The  excellent 
sketch  of  Nolan's  daily  life  gathers  most  of  its  pathos  from  the  fact  that 
his  many  natural  talents  and  fine  tastes  had  so  little  scope, — that  one  who 
might  have  been  a  great  and  useful  man  had  to  move  by  rule  on  so  narrow 
and  so  bare  a  stage. 

8.  The  freeing  of  the  slaves  on  board  the  slaver.  In  this  is  found  the 
climax  of  Nolan's  punishment  and  his  fullest  consciousness  of  what  his 
loss  had  been.  Even  the  wretched  slaves  loved  the  home  place  and  cared 
as  much  to  regain  it  as  they  cared  for  their  freedom.  Here,  too,  we  find 
an  expression  of  the  bitterness  of  Nolan's  suffering.     The  personal  rela- 

(S8) 


tions  with  him  assumed  at  this  point  by  the  writer  add  to  the  force  of  the 
situation. 

9.  The  death  of  Nolan  as  described  in  the  letter.  This  scene  develops  the 
full  pathos  in  the  misshapen  life  of  the  dying  man.  No  one  can  follow 
it  without  feeling  the  deep  loyalty  to  country  that  ha,d  long  possessed  him. 
But  the  feelings  of  pity  and  admiration  are  not  alone  aroused.  Behind 
them  is  the  deeper  feeling  that  the  hard  fate  of  Nolan  was  just  and  neces- 
sary. Moreover  it  was  for  the  best,  even  for  his  best.  Due  to  his  punish- 
ment he  had  won  to  loyalty.  The  experiences  through  which  he  passed 
restored  to  him  his  love  of  home  and  country.  Thus,  although  his  life  had 
been  sacrificed,  his  spirit  had  been  made  whole. 

An  endless  number  of  minor  points  for  class  discussion  will  be  found  by 
the  teacher.  The  following  problems  dealing  with  the  motives,  issues,  and 
ethics  involved  in  the  story  are  of  superior  importance.  They  should  be 
fully  threshed  out  by  the  class  when  they  arise  in  the  progress  of  the  read- 
ing. Such  discussion  will  go  far  toward  the  securing  of  correct  attitudes 
by  the  pupils  and  will  insure  an  interested  appreciation  of  each  turn  of  the 
plot : 

1.  What  was  there  in  Nolan's  life  that  made  it  easy  for  him  to  fall  into 
disloyalty  ? 

2.  Did  the  sentence  of  the  court  at  first  seem  severe  ? 

3.  How  do  you  suppose  his  shipmates  felt  toward  him  at  first?     Later? 

4.  Suppose  you  were  to  lose  all  touch  with  country  and  yet  had  to  live 
among  those  whose  home  interests  were  intense,  how  would  you  feel? 

5.  What  possible  good  could  Nolan's  presence  do  the  officers  and  men  on 
board  the  ships? 

6.  Why  did  the  selection  from  the  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel  affect  him 
as  it  did  ? 

7.  What  feelings  must  have  possessed  the  exile  as  he  was  transferred  from 
the  home-bound  ship  to  the  vessel  setting  out  on  its  cruise  ? 

8.  What  does  his  experience  at  the  dance  on  the  ''Warren"  show  about 
the  way  in  which  people  thought  of  him?  How  would  such  an  experience 
naturally  affect  him? 

9  What  points  in  the  story  bring  out  the  change  in  spirit  that  crept 
over  him? 

10.  Should  he  have  been  pardoned  after  the  part  he  took  in  the  sea  fight  ? 

11.  How  would  you  like 'to  live  the  tread-mill  life  he  endured?  What 
were  the  various  hardships  in  it? 

12.  How  do  you  suppose  the  earnest  warning  he  gave  to  the  young  mid- 
shipman (the  "I"  of  the  story)  affected  the  latter? 

13.  Why  did  he  not  try  to  secure  a  pardon? 

14.  What  did  he  lose  by  becoming  a  man  without  a  country? 

15.  In  thought  and  feeling  how  did  he  try  to  regain  something  of  what  he 
had  lost? 

16.  Why  did  Danforth  fail  to  tell  him  about  the  Civil  War? 

17.  Was  his  offense  one  that  could  be  repaired  and  pardoned  ? 

18.  What  makes  his  or  any  other  disloyalty  to  country  so  evil  a  thing? 

(89) 


19.  What  ways  are  there  in  which  one  can  disown  his  country,  even  in 
times  of  peace? 

The  teacher  will  find  many  references  and  allusions  that  will  demand 
cursory  interpretation  as  she  takes  the  class  over  them.  Others  deserve  a 
fuller  explanation  because  of  their  force  in  the  story  or  because  of  their 
common  recurrence  in  literature.  The  following  are  of  this  sort  and  should 
be  clearly  explained : 

1.  Location  at  sea  given  in  terms  of  latitude  and  longitude.  It  is  not 
the  specific  location  here  that  is  of  value,  but  rather  a  general  intelligence 
concerning  the  use  of  latitude  and  longitude  in  giving  bearings. 

2.  ''Esprit  de  corps."  Here  used  to  describe  the  spirit  of  class  harmony 
and  mutual  confidence  that  existed  among  the  officers  of  the  navy.  It  is  a 
phrase  for  which  we  have  no  good  English  equivalent:  hence,  its  common 
use. 

3.  '"When  Ross  burned  the  public  buildings  at  Washington."  The  class 
may  remember  that  Washington  was  burned  by  the  British  during  the 
War  of  1812. 

4.  ''Benedict  Arnold" — "King  George."  Why  would  either  of  these 
be  most  offensive  names  to  a  veteran  of  the  Eevolutionary  War? 

5.  "Perhaps  ladies  did  not  take  up  so  much  room  as  they  do  now."  A 
reference  to  the  enormous  hoop-skirts  worn  by  ladies  in  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

6.  "Salt-junk" — "turtle  soup."  A  reference  to  the  day  when  fresh  and 
canned  meats  were  unknown  on  board  ship  and  when  any  reasonable  incon- 
venience would  be  suffered  in  order  to  get  fresh  food. 

7.  "Cohtra  dances."  Dances  at  which  partners  stand  facing  each  other 
at  some  interval  during  much  of  the  time. 

8.  "Iron  Mask," — more  commonly  stated.  The  Man  in  the  Iron  Mask.  A 
mysterious  prisoner  of  state  long  confined  in  the  Bastile.  His  features  were 
always  hidden  by  a  mask  and  no  one  knew  who  he  was  or  why  he  was  in 
prison. 

9.  "Patois."  Dialect.  The  word  shade  will  stand  as  substitute  for  it 
in  the  text. 

10.  "  'Ah,  non  Palmas!'  "—"Ah,  not  Palmas." 

Cumulative  Review. 

1.  Briefly  sketch  the  story  of  The  Man  Without  a  Country. 

2.  What  was  the  offense  committed  by  the  Man  Without  a  Country? 

3.  How  was  he  punished  for  his  disloyalty? 

4.  Through  what  experiences  did  he  learn  to  love  his  country? 

5.  In  what  ways  may  one  be  a  traitor  to  one's  country  in  times  of  peace? 

6.  In  what  way  may  our  love  for  country  show  itself? 

7.  Who  wrote  The  Man  Without  a  Country? 

8.  What  other  story  by  Hale  have  you  read? 

9.  In  what  day  and  land  did  Hale  live  and  write? 


(90) 


For  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  1(H).) 

Other  Well-Known  Works  by  Hale  : 
Stories  of  the  Sea. 
Stories  of  Inventions. 

General  RIeading. 

Byron:  The  Prisoner  of  Chillon. 

Baldwin :  An  American  Book  of  Golden  Deeds. 

Mabie :  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know. 

Key:  The  Star-Spangled  Banner. 

Holmes:  Old  Ironsides. 

Read:  Sheridan's  Bide, 

Miller:  Columbus. 


ii)l) 


ENOCH  ARDLN. 


General  Remarks  and  Sug-g-estions. 

Some  one  will  probably  say,  "What !  Enoch  Arden  in  the  grades?  Enoch 
Arden  with  its  heavy  problems  of  adult  life ;  its  situations  calling  up  feel- 
ings deep  and  complex  and  subtle?"  The  question  is  a  fair  one  and  the 
objection  is  in  part  well  taken.  Nevertheless  Enoch  Arden  is  now  taught  in 
many  of  our  grammar  schools  and  there  are  decided  values  to  be  won  from 
it  in  a  well-taught  eighth  grade. 

First. — There  are  many  situations  in  it  that  the  child  of  the  eighth 
grade  will  readily  appreciate.  The  coast  town  life  of  the  children ;  the 
industry  and  energy  of  Enoch  as  a  fisherman;  his  home-making  prepara- 
tions ;  his  love  for  wife  and  children  and  his  ambitions  for  them ;  the  fears 
and  hopes  over  his  parting ;  his  long  absence  and  the  consequent  hard  times 
at  home;  his  marvelous  adventures  while  away;  even  the  problem  of  a 
second  marriage  that  faced  Annie,  his  wife;  and  at  last  the  wanderer's 
return  and  self-sacrifice, — all  these  will  be  understood  if  properly  presented. 
Nor  are  the  feelings  involved  in  an  appreciation  of  these  situations  beyond 
the  experience  of  the  pupils  in  question. 

Second. — The  full  meaning  of  the  remarkable  story  must  be  to  any  one 
an  unfolding,  and  although  all  may  not  be  got  from  it  in.  the  grades,  yet 
much  Ls  to  be  secured  there  and  the  rest  will  come  through,  and  in  addition 
to,  what  is  thus  attained.  Perhaps  the  high  school  will  complete  the  work 
with  a  second  treatment  of  the  poem ;  or  perhaps  the  pupil  may  turn  again 
and  again  to  the  poem  in  later  days,  each  time  with  a  fuller  response.  At 
all  events,  once  the  story  has  taken  even  a  light  hold  on  the  hearts  of  its 
hearers  it  will  never  lose  that  hold  and  must  perforce  be  lived  over  and 
over  in  imagination,  each  time  becoming  somewhat  richer  and  fuller  in 
meaning. 

Third. — The  poem  has  certain  literary  knowledge  claims  that  cannot  be 
set  aside  for  the  uncertain  chance  of  future  settlement. 

Fourth. — It  introduces  the  pupil  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  poetry  of 
Tennyson,  without  which,  to  be  sure,  he  could  boast  an  ordinary  education, 
but  with  which  he  is  certainly  much  better  off. 

And  finally,  the  poem  is  already  widely  taught  in  the  eighth  grade.  By 
that  fact  alone  its  presence  here  is  justified, — provided  the  proposed 
treatment  aids  the  teacher  to  any  degree  in  helping  her  pupils  to  the  literary 
values  that  it  has  in  store^  for  them.  The  following  suggestions  may  be 
used  in  high  school  or  grammar  grade  work,  in  each  case  the  discretion  of 
the  teacher  being  exercised  as  to  what  parts  of  the  work  should  receive 
emphasis  and  what  parts  should  be  skimmed  over. 

(92) 


Preparation  and  Presentation. 

It  is  especially  desirable  that  the  teacher  tell  the  story  of  Enoch  Arden 
before  placing  the  text  of  the  poem  before  the  class.  It  goes  without  say- 
ing that  in  order  to  do  this  she  must  thoroughly  understand  and  emotion- 
ally respond  to  each  turn  in  the  plot.  In  some  cases  this  may  require  sev- 
eral thoughtful  preliminary  readings  of  it  on  her  part  and  each  time  she 
must  lose  herself  in  the  fortunes  of  the  characters.  The  principal  situations 
must  not  only  be  understood,  but  visualized  as  well.  One  way  that  the 
teacher  may  help  herself  toward  the  vizualization  of  the  most  dramatic 
scenes  is  to  pause  and  think  how  an  artist  might  illustrate  each;  or  how 
the  situation  would  look  if  staged. 

During  the  telling,  the  class  should  be  stimulated  to  constant  comment, 
response  and  expression  of  feeling.  The  critical  situations  in  the  story, 
referred  to  on  pages  96-98,  should  be  'made  especially  vivid.  This  phase 
of  the  work  should  result  in  a  clear  knowledge  of  the  story  by  the  class  and 
a  vigorous  emotional  response  to  its  changing  situations.  Most  of  the 
discussion  of  the  motives  and  issues  should  arise  later  when  the  text  is 
taken  up. 

The  second  step  in  the  work  is  the  reading  and  interpreting  of  the  poem. 
Copies  of  the  text  should  be  in. the  hands  of  the  pupils  so  that  they  may 
follow  the  teacher  as  she  reads.  This  will  insure  closer  attention,  and  a 
fuller  understanding  of  each  point  in  the  story.  It  will  also  afford  the 
pupils  a  means  of  making  ready  reference  to  specific  statements. 

In  reading  and  interpreting  the  poem  to  the  class  the  first  care  of  the 
teacher  should  be  to  make  its  scenes  clear  cut  and  vivid:  her  pictures  of 
them  must  become  the  property  of  the  class.  Supplement  the  author's 
portrayal  by  homely  simple  figures  or  other  qualifying  expressions  of  your 
own.  Have  members  of  the  class  add  details  such  as  are  suggested  by  their 
imaginations.  The  very  modulation  of  the  teacher's  voice, — soft  or  loud, 
brisk  or  sad,  thoughtful  or  faltering, — ^will  serve  to  color  the  description  at 
hand  or  to  interpret  the  action  then  under  way. 

Here  as  elsewhere  in  dealing  with  poetry,  the  selection  is  to  be  read  to 
the  class  with  a  constant  running  fire  of  interpretations.  It  must  be  well 
read,  so  as  to  bring  out  the  meaning  and  the  vocal  beauty  of  each  line. 
But  a  conscious  pose  or  effort  of  the  elocutionary  type  is  to  be  avoided. 
Let  the  manner  of  voice  and  person  be  such  as  you  would  naturally  employ 
in  telling  one  group  of  friends  just  such  a  tragic  story  concerning  other 
friends. 

The  interpretation  should  generally  follow  the  reading.  Make  it  as 
parenthetical  as  possible.  After  all  points  have  thus  been  made  clear  in  a 
section,  <^o  back  and  re-read  that  section  with  its  new  meaning.  Thus,  to 
illustrate,  one  might  read  and  interpret  the  first  lines  of  the  poem  in  some 
such  way  as  the  following : 

"Class,  how  would  you  like  to  live  in  such  a  little  seaport  town  as  this: 
'Long  lines  of  cliff  breaking  have  left  a  chasm: 
And  in  the  chasm  are  foam  and  yellow  sands;' 

(93) 


Such  a  spot  as  some  of  you  have  seen  along  our  coast, — a  place  where  there 
is  a  gap  cut  by  the  waves  in  the  high  cliffs.  How  many  have  seen  just  such 
a  break  in  our  cliffs?  But  this  gap  in  our  story  was  larger  than  most  of 
the  ones  we  see  along  the  coast,  for  it  gave  room  for  a  little  harbor.  For 
see, — 

'Beyond,' — that  is  beyond  the  water  and  the  yellow  sand, — 
'Beyond,  red  roofs  (are  seen)  about  a  narrow  wharf 
In  cluster;  then  a  mouldered  church;  and  higher' — 

You  see  the  town  is  on  a  hillside  sloping  down  to  the  sandy  beach, — 

— 'and  higher, 
A  long  street  climbs  to  one  tall-towered  mill;' — 
A  winding  street,  I  should  say,  leading  up  through  the  little  town  to  the 
mill  almost  half  way  up  the  hillside. — 

"  'And  high  in  heaven  behind  it,' — high  against  the  heavens, — against  the 
sky  line, — behind  the  mill, — 'high  in  heaven  behind  it  a  gray  down  with 
Danish  barrows, ' — old  burial  mounds  of  the  Danes,  you  see.  How  do  thesa 
mounds  help  us  to  know  that  this  scene  is  on  the  coast  of  England  ?  Why 
would  such  Danish  barrows  naturally  be  near  the  sea  coast  ? 

— 'High  in  heaven  behind  it  a  gray  down 
With  Danish  barrows,  and  a  hazelwood. 
By  autumn  nutters  haunted,  flourishes 
Green  in  a  cup-like  hollow  of  the  down.' 

In  autumn,  you  see,  the  nuts  are  ripe  and  the  people  of  the  village  come 
up  to  gather  them.  You  are  going  to  hear  some  very  strange  things  that 
happened  to  some  who  came  up  in  the  autumn  to  gather  those  nuts,  so 
don't  forget  where  the  trees  are. 

"It's  rather  a  pleasant  little  place  where  this  story  happened.  Don't 
you  think  so?  Just  listen,  now,  and  see  how  fine  it  would  have  looked  to 
you  if  you  had  been  on  a  desert  island  for  ten  years  and  were  just  coming 
back  and  entering  its  port. — " 

Then  read  the  whole  description  again,  this  time  smoothly  and  with  all 
the  meaning  possible.  At  the  conclusion, — "And  now  that  we  know  all 
about  the  place,  let  us  hurry  on  and  find  something  about  the  strange  things 
that  happened  there." 

This  illustration  of  the  method  is  not  proposed  as  a  model,  nor  is  the 
passage  interpreted  considered  to  be  especially  susceptible  to  interesting 
exploitation  in  an  eighth  grade;  but  it  simply  gives  an  example  of  what  is 
meant  by  interwoven  interpretation.  The  results  are  much  more  pronounced 
in  passages  filled  with  spirited  action  or  with  waverings  between*  conflicting 
motives. 

Do  not  fail  to  show  a  natural,  unforced  pleasure  in  beautiful  expressions 
or  scenes  as  they  occur.  Our  artistic  tastes  are  largely  the  result  of  uncon- 
scious imitation,  and  the  teacher's  enjoyment  of  a  passage,  if  not  thrust  upon 


(94) 


the  class,  will  awaken  a  like  enjoyment  in  them.     Thus  one  might  pause  and 
show  pleasure  in  the  thought  and  form  of  the  following: 

~"  'Enoch  set 

A  purpose  evermore  before  his  eyes, 

To  hoard  all  savings  to  the  uttermost 

To  purchase  his  own  boat  and  make  a  home 

For  Annie : ' — 
Do  you  think  that  he  was  the  kind  to  succeed  ?    What  makes  you  think  so  ? — 

— 'and  so  prospered  that  at  last 

A  luckier  or  a  bolder  fisherman, 

A  carefuller  in  peril,  did  not  breathe 

For  leagues  along  that  breaker-beaten  coast 

Than  Enoch.' 
I  like  that  picture  of  Enoch,  don't"  you?     See  how  determined  he  was  to 
succeed  so  that  he  could  make  a  home  and  a  living  for  Annie, — 

— 'Enoch  set 

A  purpose  evermore  before  his  eyes. 

To  hoard  all  savings  to  the  uttermost. 

To  purchase  his  own  boat  and  make  a  home 

For  Annie:' — 
And  see  how  well  he  succeeded, — 

— 'and  so  prospered  that  at  last 

A  luckier  or  a  bolder  fisherman, 

A  carefuller  in  peril,  did  not  breathe 

For  leagues  along  that  breaker-beaten  coast 

Than  Enoch.' 
Why, — of  course  he  was!     Who  can  tell  why  he  became  so  successful  a 
fisherman?     But  do  you  think  that  it  was  luck  that  made  him  a  success? 
What  soi^t  of  a  man  do  you  take  him  to  be?"  etc.,  etc. 

Many  times  in  the  story  the  teacher  must  turn  back  to  other  and  earlier 
passages  for  references  that  throw  light  upon  the  situations  or  the  motive 
or  the  problem  under  consideration.  See  how  full  of  new  meaning  the 
words  of  Annie  as  a  little  girl  when  we  read  them  after  her  marriage 
to  Philip, — 

"The  little  wife  would  weep  for  company 
And  say  she  would  be  little  wife  to  both. ' ' 
And  what  a  new  meaning  there  is  in  Annie's  misgivings  after  we  hear  of 
Enoch's  misfortunes  on  his  voyage.  Illustrations  might  be  multiplied;  but 
the  careful  teacher  will  be  constantly  on  the  lookout  for  chances  to  perfect 
this  back  and  forward  interweaving  of  the  parts  of  the  story.  Through  it 
each  part  finally  gets  its  full  meaning. 

The  poem  abounds  in  issues  between  motives  and  conflicting  alternatives 
of  conduct,  many  of  which  are  of  the  highest  value  as  a  basis  for  giving  the 
pupils  sound  emotional  attitudes.  The  supreme  issue  in,  of  course,  the 
se]f-efi:acement  of  Enoch  upon  his  return,  and  all  the  conflict  of  influences, 

(95) 


motives,  and  alternatives  that  entered  into  his  decision  should  be  brought 
into  the  foreground.  Let  the  class  decide  for  him,  or  with  him,  after  they 
have  lived  his  life  up  to  that  point.  So  in  the  many  other  more  or  less 
important  problems.  Get  the  pupils  to  live  the  life  and  make  the  brave  and 
kind  and  self-denying  decisions.  In  this  way  they  will  lind  themselves  in 
emotional  attitudes  that  will  make  the  story  almost  a  personal  experience 
to  them;  and  that  at  the  same  time  will  tend  to  fix  their  stand  on  all  the 
like  problems  that  life  presents. 

This  is  the  main  value  of  the  work:  the  power  the  story  has  to  make  us 
feel  aright  on  some  of  the  common  problems  of  life  which  it  presents  in 
specific  form.  That  it  may  do  this  the  teacher  should,  first,  see  each 
problem  herself  and  take  the  right  stand  on  the  issue  involved  in  it;  and 
second,  present  the  problem  in  such  a  way  as  to  get  a  like  insight  and 
attitude  on  the  part  of  her  students.  Admiration,  sympathy,  strong  feel- 
ing of  any  sort  for  what  is  right  in  the  conduct  of  a  story  character  makes 
the  pupil  an  ally  of  that  character  and  a  limited  partner  in  his  conduct. 
The  following  situations,  most  of  which  call  upon  us  often  in  life  in  some 
form  or  other  for  a  high  or  low  ethical  stand,  should  be  presented  so  as 
to  bring  out  sound  attitudes  on  the  part  of  the  class. 

1.  The  desire  of  Enoch  to  work  for  and  make  a  home.  (What  do  you 
think  of  such  an  ambition  ?  Would  he  not  be  happier  without  a  family  and 
a  home?) 

2.  The  necessity  for  courage,  ambition,  and  ability  in  accomplishing  his 
purpose.  (Is  success  easy?  Why  did  he  succeed?  Did  his  success  depend 
on  luck?     Do  you  think  he  deserved  to  be  happy  after  his  efforts?) 

3.  The  courage  and  self-sacrifice  of  Philip  that  made  him  renounce  his 
love  for  Annie.  (Why  did  he  do  it?  What  else  might  he  have  done? 
What  was  best  to  do?  Wouldn't  Annie  have  been  happier  with  him, — for 
he  was  rich, — than  with  Enoch,  a  hard-working  fisherman? 

4.  The  happiness  in  Enoch's  home.  (Is  it  possible  to  be  happy  in  such 
a  simple  way?  What  made  the  family  happy?  Who  was  better  off, — 
Philip  with  his  wealth  or  Enoch  with  his  family?) 

'5.  The  courage  with  which  Enoch  planned  when  ill-fortune  came  upon 
him.  (What  would  you  have  done  in  such  a  case?  What  else  might  be 
have  done?     Of  whom  did  Enoch  always  think  first?) 

6.  Enoch's  ambition  to  give  his  children  a  good  start  in  life.  (What 
else  might  he  have  done  ?  Was  it  easy  to  give  the  children  the  advantages 
he  wished  to  give  them?     What  good  would  it  do  him?) 

7.  The  sadness  of  the. parting.  (Why  did  Annie  oppose  his  going?  Was 
she  right?  Do  you  think  that  Enoch  was  as  sorry  to  go  as  Annie  was  to 
have  him  go?    Why  did  he  stick  to  his  purpose?) 

8.  Annie's  failure  as  a  shopkeeper.  (Does  goodness  mean  business  suc- 
cess? Would  it  not  have  been  better  for  her  to  have  been  shrewd  and 
crafty  in  her  dealings?     What  made  her  failure  so  bitter?) 

9.  The  death  of  the  weakling  child.  (Which  child  do  you  think  that 
Annie  and  Enoch  loved  most  of  all?     Would  it  not  have  been  better  for 


(96) 


Annie  to  have  been  a  little  tricky  in  running  her  store  li'  by  doing  so  she 
could  have  gained  the  means  to  save  the  child's  life?) 

10.  Philip's  offer  to  send  the  children  to  school?  (Why  did  he  make 
it?  Did  he  plan  by  doing  this  to  make  Annie  dependent  upon  him  so  that 
he  could  the  better  urge  her  to  marry  him?  Should  Annie  have  accepted 
his  offer?  Did  the  death  of  her  child  have  anything  to  do  with  her  accept- 
ance? What  would  Enoch  have  said?  Would  Philip  have  made  the  offer 
if  Enoch  had  been  home  but  poor  and  in  hard  luck?) 

11.  Philip's  help  to  Annie  and  her  family.  (A  review  of  the  last 
problems.     Why  did  Philip  enjoy  what  he  was  doing?) 

12.  The  love  of  the  children  for  Philip.  (Why  did  they  care  so  much 
for  him,  and  so  easily  forget  their  father?  Was  this  right?  What  would 
have  been  the  situation  had  Enoch  returned  before  or  at  the  end  of  the  ten 
years  ? 

13.  Philip's  proposal  of  marriage.  (Why  did  he  propose  it?  Was  it 
right  for  him  to  do  so?  Did  Annie  love  him  at  this  time?  Why  did  she 
ask  a  year's  delay?  The  law  says  that  if  a  husband  is  not  heard  from  in 
five  years,  then  the  wife  can  remarry  just  as  though  he  were  dead:  what 
sense  was  there,  then,  for  Annie  to  wish  to  wait  for  over  ten  years?) 

14.  The  village  gossip.  (Do  gossipers  ever  try  to  see  the  good  in  what 
they  whisper  about?  What  effect  did  this  gossip  have  in  shaping  Annie's 
decision?) 

15.  The  marriage  of  Philip  and  Annie.  (Why  did  the  children  urge 
the  marriage?  What  made  Annie  finally  consent?  Did  she  still  love 
Enoch  ?  What  made  her  so  troubled  and  unhappy  just  af t«r  her  marriage  ? 
Why  did  the  new  baby  make  her  happy  again  ?  Do  you  think  that  she  still 
thought  often  of  Enoch?) 

16.  Enoch's  life  on  the  island.  (What  do  you  suppose  he  thought  most 
about?  Why  was  he  so  unhappy?  How  would  he  have  felt  over  each 
event  at  home  if  he  could  have  seen  all  that  was  happening?  Would  it 
have  been  better  if  he,  too,  had  died?  Did  Annie  still  hope  and  wish  to 
see  him?) 

17.  The  return.  (How  did  Enoch  feel  when  one  home  sight  after  another 
came  into  view  as  his  ship  came  into  his  old  home  town  ?  How  did  he  feel 
as  he  approached  his  old  home?  What  had  changed  him  so  that  Miriam 
Lane  did  not  know  him?  Why  did  he  not  out  with  his  story  and  ask  news 
of  the  first  people  he  saw  concerning  his  wife  and  children?) 

18.  Enoch's  final  sacrifice.  (Why  did  he  not  tell  who  he  was  after 
he  knew  that  Annie  had  married  Philip?  Why  did  he  wish  to  see  Annie 
again?  Do  you  think  that  there  could  have  been  any  grain  of  satisfaction 
in  all  the  sorrow  he  felt  when  he  saw^  how  happy  and  well  cared  for  his 
children  were?  What  would  have  been  the  result  for  Annie  and  the  chil- 
dren if  he  had  told  his  story?  Would  their  suffering  have  made  him  any 
better  off?  Did  he  deserve  all  this  disappointment?  Who  was  to  blame 
for  it  all?) 

19.  Enoch's  lonely  life.     (Was  his  work  as  pleasant  to  him  now  as  it  had 

7— BUL.  5  '  (97) 


once  been  ?  Now  he  had  few  cares  and  no  one  to  look  out  for  but  himself : 
shouldn't  this  have  made  him  happy?) 

20.  His  lonely  death.  (What  was  the  cause  of  his  death?  Why  did  he 
not  let  Miriam  Lane  bring  the  children  to  see  him  ?  How  do  you  suppose 
his  dying  message  affected  Annie?  Did  he  blame  her  or  Philip  for  his 
fate?     How  did  Philip  feel  over  his  death?) 

These  situations  may  mean  much  or  little  to  the  teacher  who  is  studying 
the  poem;  and  the  questions  may  set  her  heart  on  one  side  or  the  other  of 
great  life  problems, — or  they  may  merely  arouse  perfunctory  formal  answers. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  former  in  each  case  will  be  true.  But  if  not, — 
if  the  situations  mean  little  and  the  questions  wake  no  contending  feel- 
ings,— then  in  common  decency  and  out  of  respect  for  honest  teaching  they 
should  be  left  out  of  the  work.  The  story,  in  such  case,  should  be  told 
with  all  the  meaning  that  the  teacher  sees  in  it,  and  no  more.  It  should 
be  a  true  interpretation;  not  a  diluted  transmission  of  someone's  else  inter- 
pretation. 

To  the  teacher,  however,  who  feels  the  response  to  the  various  crises  of 
the  tale  no  better  story  can  be  found  for  the  emotional  awakening  of  her 
class.  For  here  are  the  problems  of  life, — common  ordinary  home  life, — 
simple  problems  and  hard  ones,  problems  that  in  some  disguise  or  other 
meet  us  all  and  must  be  properly  solved  by  us  all  if  we  are  to  make  fair 
claim  to  a  full  degree  of  civilization.  And  here  is  the  chance  to  give  young 
people  a  clear,  high  stand  for  the  correct  solution, — a  chance  for  them  to 
align  themselves  with  all  that  is  strong  and  kind  and  true  and  worthy  to 
endure  in  good  repute. 

When  the  teaching  of  the  poem  has  been  done,  the  class  should  be  led 
into  an  interesting  discussion  of  the  following  points: 

1.  What  character  in  the  poem  do  you  like  best? 

2.  What  situation  in  the  story  is  most  interesting  to  you?     Why? 

3.  What  action  appeals  to  you  as  having  been  noblest  and  best  ? 

4.  What  parts  of  the  poem  seem  to  you  to  be  the  most  beautiful? 

Memory  Work. 

No  memory  work  should  be  insisted  on  at  the  completion  of  this  work, 
but  pupils  should  be  tempted  to  learn  by  heart  such  portions  of  it  as  have 
made  an  especially  strong  appeal  to  them. 

Cumulative  Review. 

1.  Sketch  the  story  of  Enoch  Arden. 

2.  Who  wrote  the  poem? 

3.  What  other  poems  by  Tennyson  have  you  read? 

4.  When  and  in  what  land  did  Tennyson  live  and  write? 


(98) 


Fop  the  Pupils  to  Read. 

(See  chapter  entitled  "Good  Reading  Habits,"  p.  100.) 

Other  Well-Known  Works  of  Tennyson  : 

The  ''Revenge." 

The  Brook. 

Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade. 
General  Reading: 

Defoe :  Bohinson  Crusoe. 

Stevenson:  Treasure  Island. 

Dickens:  Tale  of  Two  Cities. 


(99) 


GOOD  READING  HABITS. 


Wo  teachers  have  long  claimed  that  our  school  work  in  literature  has 
given  children  a  taste  for  good  books.  That  it  should  do  so,  no  one  doubts; 
but  that  it  generally  does  not  do  so  is  the  plain  conclusion  to  which  one  must 
come  after  an  inspection  of  actual  results.  Why  this  is  so  has  been  dis- 
cussed in  the  introductory  chapter  and  there  is  no  need  to  repeat  or  enlarge 
upon  that  discussion  here.  Our  purpose  should  rather  be  to  lay  plans  for 
giving  the  pupils  that  discriminating  love  of  books  which  they  must  have 
if  their  lives  are  to  be  fully  rounded  with  literary  culture  and  enjoyment. 

It  should  be  recognized  at  once  that  a  deep  enjoyment  by  the  class  of  the 
eight  selections  of  this  course  will  not  in  itself  result  in  a  taste  for  good 
reading.  Such  a  result  must  come  from  contact  with  many  selections. 
Like  other  habits,  it  is  the  product  of  many  repeated  experiences.  Never- 
theless, the  interest  aroused  through  a  proper  presentation  of  each  of  the 
subjects  of  the  course  is  a  force  that  may  be  used  by  the  teacher  in  securing 
the  desired  result,  a  sound  reading  habit.  That  it  may  be  so  used  and 
developed,  and  that  it  shall  not  through  neglect  be  permitted  to  die  without 
lasting  influence  upon  the  pupil's  literary  tastes,  should  be  a  very  special 
object  of  care  to  the  teacher. 

The  following  suggestions  are  offered  with  a  view  of  helping  the  teacher 
to  use  each  rising  class  interest  in  the  work  in  hand  to  the  end  that  good  read- 
ing tastes  may  be  developed.  Several  appropriate  references  are  found  at 
the  end  of  the  treatment  of  each  selection.  These  are  of  two  sorts:  first, 
other  writings  by  the  author  wliose  masterpiece  has  just  been  studied; 
second,  those  familiar  in  spirit,  content,  form  or  atmosphere,  to  the  selec- 
tion whose  treatment  they  follow.  Thus  Macaulay's  Horatius  is  followed 
by  a  reference  to  Yonge's  Book  of  Golden  Deeds,  a  collection  of  stories 
of  heroism  similar  in  many  respects  to  Horatius.  So,  also,  it  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  reference  to  two  other  ballads  by  Macaulay, — Virginia,  and 
the  Battle  of  Lake  Begillus.  The  reason  for  thus  selecting  reading  material 
in  some  respects  akin  to  or  by  the  same  author  as  the  work  just  studied  is 
that  such  material  will  best  draw  the  interests  already  aroused  by  good 
class  work. 

When  the  presentation  of  a  selection  in  the  regular  course  has  been 
started  and  is  well  under  way,  the  teacher  should  set  to  work  to  lead  the 
growing  interests  of  the  pupils  to  a  delight  in  the  works  listed  for  reading. 
This  requires  care  and  skill.  Moreover,  it  must  be  systematically  done  if 
results  worth  while  are  to  be  attained.  But  at  no  time  should  the  element 
of  compulsion  or  the  cold  method  of  the  command  be  employed.  The  sup- 
plementary reading  must  be  voluntary,  free  and  joyous  from  the  stand- 

(100) 


point  of  the  child.     Its  purpose  must  always  be  held  clear :  a  love  for  good 
books,  not  a  hatred  or  dread  of  them. 

The  following  methods  and  devices  have  been  found  useful  in  leading 
pupils  into  friendly  contact  with  the  wider  range  of  reading  provided  by 
the  supplementary  lists: 

1.  Individual  pupils  may  be  prompted  to  read  certain  of  the  books 
through  suggestions  given  them  by  the  teacher  in  the  form  of  personal 
and  confidential  talks.  Thus,  she  may  during  some  recess  or  before  or 
after  school  ask  some  boy  who  does  not  show  a  desire  to  read  how  he  likes 
the  story  of  Bip  Van  Winkle,  then  under  consideration  in  the  literature 
class.  From  this  she  may  easily  pass  to  the  great  fund  of  stories  strong 
in  the  elements  of  the  supernatural,  and  may,  by  brief  sketches,  or  the 
testimony  of  her  own  past  delight  in  them,  or  the  use  of  illustrations,  arouse 
in  him  a  desire  to  read  the  Arabian  Heights'  Entertainments  or  some  of  the 
stories  of  magic  and  buried  treasure  contained  in  Irving 's  Alhamhra.  The 
more  casually  and  informally  this  is  done  the  stronger  will  be  the  pupil's 
desire  to  read.  A  watchful  teacher  will  be  sure  to  find  some  interest  in  the 
most  backward  pupil  that  may  be  led  by  this  method  of  personal  sugges- 
tion into  voluntary  reading  of  some  of  the  references. 

2.  The  teacher  should  take  a  few  minutes  from  time  to  time  for  the  pur- 
pose of  introducing  the  class  to  some  line  of  reading.  This  should  be  done 
in  the  manner  of  the  first  installment  bait.  That  is  to  say,  the  teacher 
should  sketch  as  cleverly  as  possible  the  opening  events  of  the  story.  She 
should  thus  arouse  the  interests  of  the  pupils  in  the  characters  and  the  plot 
and  should  then  leave  them  breathless  with  expectation  just  as  the  first 
climax  of  the  story  is  about  to  culminate.  The  book  is  then  referred  to  and 
shown  with  all  the  special  commendation  possible.  Duplicate  copies  should 
be  at  hand  to  accommodate  several  pupils  at  once. 

3.  Children  are  like  the  rest  of  us  in  that  their  appreciations  are  largely 
the  result  of  unconscious  imitation.  Because  of  this  it  will  prove  stimula- 
ting to  their  desire  to  read  a  certain  book  if  some  of  the  class  leaders  can  be 
led  to  express  warm  interest  in  it.  Occasional  impromptu  class  discus- 
sions should  be  held  by  these  leaders  on  such  questions  as : 

Which  book  of  all  that  you  have  read  do  you  like  best? 

What  sort  of  stories  do  you  most  enjoy  1 

What  is  there  that  is  so  interesting  in  The  Talisman  (or  other  work)  ? 

A  shrewd  teacher  will  soon  find  that  what  the  leader  among  the  boys  and 
girls  has  to  say  about  a  certain  book  will  go  far  tow'ard  directing  the 
interest  of  his  flock. 

4.  A  number  of  applications  for  the  use  of  the  same  book  at  the  same 
time  affords  a  reason  for  starting  a  waiting  list  which  is  in  itself  an  interest- 
stimulating  device.  Each  pupil  desires  the  book  because  others  are  eager 
for  it ;  and  his  desire  is  all  the  keener  because  it  cannot  be  gratified  at  once. 
From  time  to  time  when  the  waiting  list  is  growing  short  the  teacher  should 
make  class  announcement  of  this  condition  and  should  call  attention  to  .the 
opportunities  thus  afforded 

(101) 


5.  Pupils  who  have  done  some  reading  should  be  led  to  refer  to  the 
knowledge  gained  through  it  as  often  as  possible.  This  reference  to  inter- 
esting persons  and  events  encountered  in  their  general  reading  may  be  made 
in  the  history,  geography,  literature,  and  composition  work.  The  prestige 
and  pleasure  that  come  to  the  children  from  such  allusion  to  their  leisure 
reading  is  a  stimulus  to  their  interest  in  it  as  well  as  a  spur  to  the  interest 
of  the  other  pupils. 

6.  Occasionally  some  pupil  who  has  especially  enjoyed  a  story  should  be 
permitted  to  read  or  tell  it  or  parts  of  it  to  the  class.  This  should  be  done 
in  the  spirit  of  a  treat  to  the  class  and  a  privilege  to  the  one  who  thus  enter- 
tains them.  At  the  end  the  teacher  may  in  an  incidental  but  appreciative 
way  call  attention  to  other  and  similar  selections  on  the  desk  and  ready 
for  reading  which  are  as  good  or  better  than  the  one  which  the  pupil  has 
just  told  to  the  class. 

The  general  reading  is  to  be  done  largely  at  the  pupil 's  leisure  outside  of 
school.  F!riday  night,  on  which  no  regular  home  work  should  be  given,  is 
an  excellent  time  for  the  taking  out  of  books.  Some  times  a  history  or 
geography  or  literature  study  period  may  very  properly  be  given  over  to 
certain  readings  from  the  lists  of  selections,  for  some  of  the  works  are  the 
best  sort  of  supplementary  reading  to  portions  of  the  regular  school  work. 
So,  also,  an  occasional  half  hour  may  be  given  up  to  general  pleasure  read- 
ing. If  it  is  possible  by  any  reasonable  means  to  arrange  for  it  in  the 
press  of  other  w^ork,  two  such  half-hour  periods  per  week  should  be  devoted 
to  this  pleasure  reading.  It  is  as  distinct  and  as  important  an  object  of 
our  grammar  school  course  that  children  should  learn  to  care  to  read  good 
books  as  it  is  that  they  should  learn  their  history  or  geography  lessons. 

It  is  desirable  that  special  effort  should  be  made  to  secure  the  reading  of 
as  many  as  possible  of  the  subjects  in  each  list  during  the  time  that  the  selec- 
tion to  which  they  are  appended  is  under  treatment  in  the  literature  work. 
Thus  the  selections  found  under  the  caption,  "For  the  PupiLs  to  Read," 
following  the  suggested  treatment  of  Ivanhoe,  should  be  introduced  as  skill- 
fully as  possible  to  the  interests  of  the  class  during  the  time  that  Ivanhoe  is 
the  subject  of  the  class  work  in  literature.  But  this  general  rule  should  not 
prevent  a  pupil  from  reading  anything  in  all  the  lists  upon  which  his  fancy 
may  at  any  time  have  been  brought  to  rest. 

Any  boy  who  reads  the  books  of  these  lists  under  the  influence  of  his 
delight  and  pleasure  in  them  will  have  gone  a  good  way  toward  acquiring 
a  reading  habit  that  will  make  him  happier  and  wiser.  The  promises  of  our 
best  boast,  too  often  unfulfilled,  will  then  have  been  fully  redeemed  in  him, 
for  he  will  have  gained  an  open  sesame  to  the  literary  wealth  that  is  in  the 
possession  of  the  world  about  him. 

The  foregoing  discussion  of  the  subject  of  general  reading  by  children 
does  not  assume  to  be  a  full  treatment  of  the  problem  involved  in  it.  The 
subject  is  full  of  questions  thus  far  unanswered.  "What  books  should  be  on 
the  school  library  shelves?  For  what  grades  is  each  best  suited?  Is  this 
particular  book  good  or  bad  in  its  influences?     How  may  this  or  that  book 

(102) 


best  be  introduced  to  the  class?  How  may  that  author  become  a  friend  of 
the  children  ?  What  sort  of  books  does  this  or  that  sort  of  boy  need  ?  What 
manner  of  appeal  will  most  effectively  draw  various  classes  of  pupils  to 
various  classas  of  stories?  What  part  should  juvenile  reading  play  in  the 
general  scheme?  What  distinction  should  there  be  between  the  methods 
and  aims  of  directing  supplementary  reading  in  geography  or  some  other 
subject,  and  the  methods  and  aims  of  directing  pleasure  reading?  These 
questions  and  all  their  more  specific  corollaries  must  be  answered  before 
the  general  reading  tastes  of  children  can  be  brought  under  systematic  and 
effective  control. 

Owing  to  the  importance  of  the  subject  and  to  the  lengths  to  which  its 
adequate  investigation  should  run,  a  fuller  and  more  detailed  treatment  of 
the  questions  touching  the  general  reading  habits  of  children  has  been  left 
to  a  future  bulletin.  It  is  a  subject  well  worth  the  study  and  the  emphasis 
of  a  special  treatment. 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


(lOH) 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  BATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN     INITIAL     FINE     OF     25     CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1,00  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


NOV    11  1«32 


NOV    121932 

SEP  1(11979 

BK.  ClI   SUG  1  0   ^ 
SE^^'ONILL 

AUG  09  1939 

U.  C.  BERKELEY 


LD  21-50m-8,'32 


YD  00808 


LB  1575 
V/5 


V 


174-?;^') 


